Me and My Music

The Jakarta Post   |  Wed, 01/23/2008 10:46 AM  |  Travel

There are lots of ways to describe Tompi: the one-of-a-kind voice; the plastic surgeon who also sings for his living; the man in the hat. And he is the entertainer who, through that voice, captivating stage persona and two successful albums, has brought the sometimes intimidating world of jazz to a new audience of young Indonesians.

Born and raised in Aceh, Teuku Adi Fitrian came to Jakarta to study medicine at the University of Indonesia. It was at a gathering for new students that he, unwillingly, took center stage. Here Tompi, 29, tells his story.

First time on stage
I studied dance when I was a little boy in Aceh. I also was in a drum corps and we went all the way to the nationals in Jakarta. But I was never a vocalist. I moved to Jakarta in 1997, in a general practitioner’s program. There was an event for new students where we had to perform as a band for elder students. It was just for fun. My friend was supposed to sing, but on the big day he had stage fright and didn’t show up. My other friends told me to sing in his place. So I went on; it was the first time I had ever held a microphone.

I was so nervous. I was happy to sing but I didn’t want people watching me. So I sat down behind the grand piano and sang Easy. People didn’t know who was singing. They asked me to sing another number, but that was the only one I knew.

One of the band
I had some friends who asked me to take part in a band. I wasn’t the singer, I played percussion, and we went round to cafes. I stopped playing after four or five months; it was tiring carrying all that equipment around. But I used to go to Klub 45, and they would have a jam session every Sunday night. The first time I came I brought my percussion instruments and told them I wanted to play. They said I had a talent for music and told me to come again.

The next week I came and I said, “I want to sing”. I chose Killing Me Softly; I thought it was a jazz tune, because I had heard a jazz version of it. I didn’t know what jazz standards were. I was told, “No pop tunes here.” So I had to sing something else, All of Me. Everything flowed and I felt so happy to have the chance. People came up to me afterward and asked, “Which church do you go to?” “And I told them, ‘No, I’m a Muslim, I’m not a church singer.”

Then I was called by [musician and music teacher] Tjut Nyak Deviana Daudsjah, and what she said still means a lot to me and it has supported me in so many ways. She said, “If you want to learn you can really be something. One day you will find out.”

Too big too soon
I felt that as a natural singer, I was already a great singer. There was a workshop with some foreign tutors, and I came 30 minutes late because I had to do some doctor’s stuff. The singing session was done, but my friends said, “you have to hear Tompi”. I sang Masquerade, the best I could at the time. They gave me lots of applause. The professor asked me if I was comfortable with the way I sung. I was so big-headed, I felt wonderful. But Deviana took me aside and said, “Do you know why she asked you that? Because your singing was such a mess!”

I was in denial. But I started to study more. I was taught how to sing a song in the right way so it can be enjoyed. It’s not about just making a sound.

My singing
People say that I have a unique way of singing. It’s not about having a unique voice, but it’s the way we sing.  Indonesian singers are chameleons. Just go to a cafe and request a Santana or Michael Buble song; close your eyes and it will sound just like them. But it should be about how you interpret the song, not imitating somebody else’s emotions. Sing in your own way and everybody will feel it.

Talent
I believe that God gave me this talent. I think it also came from my parents and my environment. My mother had a very good voice and was a good traditional dancer. I think I got my talent from her. But talent isn’t enough. I’ve studied psychology, child development. With Indonesians, parents try to do the best thing for their child according to their version, not what is best for them according to their child.

The decision to study general practice was 60 percent from my parents, 40 percent from me. But it was 100 percent from me to study plastic surgery. Why plastic surgery? Because I love art, and I’m a bit of a perfectionist.

The stage vs. surgery
In jazz, we study how to improvise. In surgery, we study the basic techniques. But no patient is the same, so we also have to improvise, modify it a bit.  For this time, I am more concerned with my plastic surgery. All of this I have achieved with keeping school as my priority. I went to school, sang and then went home and studied again. Being a doctor was – is – my priority.

The meaning of jazz
Jazz for me is talking. It’s about telling a story, describing something. I don’t get why. But I sing for myself. If I can enjoy it, then others will, too. I sing from my heart. I never go on stage with a set schedule of songs. It’s all about the energy on stage; two hours after the show, the energy will be different and how I sing a song will be, too. 

The community of musicians
Jazz is a community; it’s not like pop music, where anybody can take part. Some get it, some don’t. In jazz, we have a circle in which we try to survive, and there is mutual support because we are part of it. That’s the positive side. The negative is that we still have a senior-junior relationship in jazz. We shouldn’t have that in music. Maybe a musician feels he is senior because he has experience; that’s good. But it’s bad when he or she professes to be more knowledgeable. Who says a younger musician can’t have the same knowledge or more?

I have been trapped by my hat
I don’t wear my hat at the hospital, but sometimes a patient will say, “you look like Tompi”. I’ll laugh and say “no, I’m not.” The hat thing started when I was in Singapore and I saw a hat at a sidewalk stall. It fit just right. It was very cheap; I still have it today. And there was no other Indonesian singer wearing a hat like that. Tompi and topi (hat) go together.

I can’t remember the words to songs
So I bring the lyrics with me on stage. But sometimes I just make it up as I go along and the band goes along with me. I’ll do Faith by George Michael, but I’ll modify it. People ask, “Was that Faith?” And I’ll tell them, “Yes, it was”.

It’s never been my goal to be a big artist
If it happens, it would be great. But I want to study more about plastic surgery. I want to help lots of people.

+ As told to Bruce Emond

Tompi’s new album, Omar Dakari (Happy Life), is scheduled for release soon.

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