Distilling their favourite elements of various genres including post-grunge and hard rock into their songs about love, loss and patriotism, Bandung-based band Cokelat (English: Chocolate) burst onto the Indonesian alternative scene in 1996, quickly securing a record deal with BMG. Fronted by Namara “Kikan” Surtikanti until her departure in 2010, the group has since enlisted in various replacement lead singers, with the voices of Siti “Sarah” Hadju, Jackline “J” Rossy, Aiu Ratna and Nova Rianty heard across their discography at different periods in time. Their debut album, Untuk Bintang (For the Stars), materialised in 2000, producing the well-received singles “Dendam (Revenge)” and “Pergi (Go!)” and leading the group to sign to Sony. 2001’s Rasa Baru (New Flavour), the band’s second LP, signalled their breakthrough, with “Karma”, “Luka Lama” and the nationalist anthem “Bendera (Flag)” proving themselves to be hits. After releasing two more LPs, Segitiga (2003) and Dari Hati (2004), the group changed tack. Continuing to reap the rewards of “Bendera”, they opted to record a ten-track compilation of patriotic covers entitled Untukmu Indonesiaku (For You, My Indonesia), which landed in 2006 and included a popular version of Husein Mutahar’s 1946 classic “Hari Merdeka (Independence Day)”. The band released one further album with Kikan at the helm, 2008’s Panca Indera, before shifting their focus to single releases following her exit. In 2020, they again returned to rousing, patriotic messaging, releasing a charity cover of Kusbini’s “Bagimu Negeri” to raise funds for frontline medical professionals tackling the coronavirus pandemic.
