Ruth Sahanaya (September 1, 1966), aka Uthe, is a pop and gospel singer from Indonesia. Born in Bandung, West Java, Sahanaya showed an aptitude for singing from a very early age, taking part in and winning several singing competitions. In 1986, after finishing her secretarial studies, she relocated to Jakarta to pursue a career as a professional singer. There, she was noticed by label PT Aquarius Musikindo, who swiftly signed her to their roster and released her debut album, Seputih Kasih in 1987. Propelled by the success of the single “Kaulah Segalanya,” the LP put Ruth Sahanaya at the forefront of Indonesian mainstream pop and paved the way for other celebrated full-lengths such as Tak Kuduga (1989), Yang Terbaik (1994), Uthe (1996), and Kasih (1999), which sold over 250,000 copies in her native country. In the early aughts, she was signed to Sony Music and participated in the pop supergroup 3 Diva along with Titi DJ and Krisyadanti. Directed by composer and conductor Erwin Gutawa, the group toured extensively throughout Indonesia and Malaysia, and released two albums before disbanding in 2008. Following 3 Diva’s breakup, Ruth Sahanaya continued to deliver classic pop albums like Thankful (2010), Simfoni dari Hati (2016), and the jazz-inspired Rinduku (2018), a collaborative album with Ria Prawiro and Gihon Lohanda that was nominated as Best Album at the 2018 Indonesian Music Awards.
