The 33-year-old singer talks much about the vicissitudes of her life on her second album, ...laju (...moving forward).

The album shows that she can stand on her own feet, without help from her famous daddy, singer cum presenter, Koes Hendratmo.

Bonita was delighted when her first solo and self-titled debut album was finally released under a major label in Indonesia in 2003. There are 10 songs on that first album, including the hit singles Merah (Red), Aku (Me) and Pelangi (Rainbow). It was like a dream come true for the woman who had been singing for years.

The hype was short lived though, Bonita’s album did not do well and the major record label eventually dropped her.

“I was very disappointed with the label, and myself as well. Many people said that I had a great voice, but at the end of the day, it meant nothing,” Bonita said.

“I could not even find my album in any record stores in town. I did not even know what had happened. I felt hopeless and depressed.”

Her nightmare continued on the homefront too.

Bonita was shocked to hear the 30-year marriage between her beloved parents Koes and Herdawati, a former jazz singer, was in trouble. The situation got worse when her father filed for a divorce and the news was all over the media.

Bonita was hurt, saying the split felt like the end of the world.

At the end of 2006, her parents officially split up, and just a few a few months after the divorce, Koes married a woman 20 years younger.

“It was a hard time for me. I just wanted to end my life at that time,” she says, “I was also very angry with the media for exposing my family.”

During the downfall, she dated Petrus Briyanto Adi or Adoy, a musician she met in 1997, who would later become her husband.

Adoy, Bonita said, saw her potential and reignited her passion for singing. Bonita says she remembered him saying, “Stop being a daddy’s girl. Start embracing yourself as a gifted Bonita. We’re in this together.”

Bonita’s spirit lightened up. She started to make music again and wrote new songs with Adoy and fellow musicians.

Her new album, produced by Yuka Dian Narendra and released at the end of last year, is the creative result of this process.

“The songs in the album are about different phases of my life. It’s like a compilation of short journals from 2004 to 2006,” said Bonita.

 “The album starts with the song Rumahku (My Home) because everything that happens in my life begins with my home, whether it is happiness or sadness.”

Bonita launched the album in a cozy corner of a café in Kemang, South Jakarta.

The stage was beautifully decorated with a dark-green sofa, bookshelf, wooden tables, two side lamps, a wooden chair, a flat-screen TV, fresh flowers and photographs of Bonita with her family.

During the event, clad in a white-green floral dress and white bolero, she sang tracks from the latest album, accompanied by her husband, who played guitar. Her voice is light, fun and sweet.

One of the songs she performed that afternoon was “Ari”, a song about Bonita’s ex-boyfriend. “The funny thing is it was my husband who did the arrangement for this song. He knows exactly who Ari is,” she giggled.

“Honey, you have a big heart. Thank you,” said Bonita, while smiling and throwing kisses to her husband, who was sitting next to her.

Bonita has a unique way of expressing her anger and sadness. Rather than melodramatic and complicated lyrics, she chooses simple lines that are easy for music lovers to digest, and in doing so encourages a creative subversion of sadness.

The album captures her experiments with things around her that are mirrored in tracks such as Pena (Pen) and Telur (Egg), while she expresses her joy in songs such as Jatuh Cinta (Falling in Love).

The single Komidi Putar (Merry-go-round) is even included on the original soundtrack of local movie Sang Pemimpi (The Dreamer), which is taken from Andrea Hirata’s best-selling novel.

Bonita also includes two English-language songs, You Cheer Me Up and It’s Over Now.

For Bonita, her second album represents a milestone in her life, a symbol of rejuvenated hopes and dreams.

Asked about her main inspiration for the album, Bonita was quick to declare her mother, who she said was a constant inspiration.

“She’s the strongest woman I’ve ever known. I hope that I can even have at least a quarter of her strength. She’s the one who reminds me that life goes on [despite facing a painful divorce],” Bonita said.

“She was so calm in handling reporters that kept asking her about her marriage.”

Putting negative things behind her, the singer decided to start her own record label, Rumah Bonita (Bonita’s House), with her husband and some friends.

Bonita admitted that her reputable and well-connected father has often recommended she approach various record labels.

“My father suggested me to use this or that label for years,” she explained.

“Well, I was born into a lucky situation where I could get anything I wanted. Now, I want to have something from my own hard work,” she said.

But it wasn’t always easy to convince her parents of her choice to make it her own way.

“My father told me that he was proud of me. He said he even liked the songs on my latest album. His favorite one is Rumahku,” said Bonita, smiling.

Born on May 7, 1977 to musician parents, Bonita grew up singing and playing music.

She participated in “Asia Bagus”, a music competition for young singers in Asia, including Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore and was a weekly champion in 1994.

Her musical experience saw her working as a vocal director and vocalist for reputable local musicians, such as Oppie Andaresta, Slank, Krisdayanti, Anang, Yuni Shara, Ebiet G. Ade, Rosa, Delon and Stephen ‘n the Coconut Trees.

After launching her first album, she has performed with her band, Bonita and the Hus band. The band occasionally jams in cafes, as well as wedding parties and other events.

Last April, they performed at Singapore’s international music event, “On the Waterfront Series — Indie Asia”.

Bonita and the band also perform at the 2010 Mosaic Music Festival in Singapore which run from March 12 through March 21.

Now, life is normal again for Bonita.

She has settled down with her husband and her two-year-old boy Pramusetya Kanca.

She has tried to put things behind, including her parent’s troubled marriage.

 “My parents are happy now. I don’t want to interfere in their lives because I’m tired of all of their problems.”

“I’m trying to forgive [my father], but I cannot forget that thing. I prefer directing my anger toward my music. There are still many people out there who suffer more than I do,” said Bonita.    

Just like the title of her latest album, Bonita is moving forward.

— Photos courtesy of  Rumahbonita

Biography

Full name: Bonita
Place & Date of Birth: Jakarta, May 7, 1977

Discography
Bonita (2003)
Bonita & the Hus Band volume 1 – limited edition (2009)
...laju or ...moving forward (2009)

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