Rossa in a concert. JP/Ricky Yudhistira

She also recently took up what may be one of the most coveted spots in the entertainment industry, serving as judge in the talent contest Indonesian Idol.

Meeting Rossa for an interview at her spacious home in Pejaten, South Jakarta, recently was like a reunion. This was my second interview with her.

More than three years ago I had the chance to interview this petite singer in the same house. But this time it was different.

In my first interview, she was still married to her husband Surendro Prasetyo, or Yoyo, the drummer of local rock band Padi.

Back then they were a happy couple celebrating the new addition to their family, their first son, Rizky Langit Ramadhan. I saw a lot of love in their faces then.

In the latest interview, Rossa was a single mother, raising her three-and-a-half-year-old on her own after splitting up with Yoyo in mid 2009.

This was indeed a turnaround for one of Indonesia’s most talented musicians.

In spite of the turnaround, some things had not changed.

She is still a nice, friendly and down-to-earth person with big smile, who laughs a lot.

“Hi, Mbak. Is it alright for me to eat while we are doing this interview? I haven’t had my lunch and I’m starving,” she said, grabbing a bowl of noodles with meatballs from the kitchen table.

She did not look tired, although she had just done a series of interviews.

Sitting comfortably in a dining chair, Rossa seemed upbeat when talking about her upcoming concert, billed as “Melodi Cinta Rossa” (Rossa’s Love Melody), which is slated for May 29 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

“This will be my first-ever big international solo concert. I want to achieve more in my career,” said Rossa, who was born Sri Rossa Roslaina Handiyani.

But why Malaysia?

“Malaysia is like my second home. Over the past six years I have had a good singing career there,” she said.

“I have achieved so many things in Malaysia. I received a number of awards and have a legion of fans there.”

For the planned concert at Putra Stadium in Bukit Jalil, Rossa will be assisted by music director Erwin Gutawa and art director Jay Subijakto.

Rossa has also enlisted fashion designers Ivan Gunawan(her boyfriend in junior high), Sebastian Gunawan and Sally Koeswanto for her show. Another aspect of the concert that might help make Rossa feel at home is the fact that Malaysian First Lady Datin Sri Paduka Rosmah will serve as her patron.

The concert will feature several other performers including the Indonesian children’s choir and pop bands Ungu, ST 12, and young Malaysian singer Aizat.

Regarding her decision to play alongside Ungu and ST 12, Rossa said she thought of them as “soul mates” who she would have no problems collaborating with.

“As for ST 12, I have always wanted to collaborate with them. But this is the first time we will play together. I like them. People may sneer at the Malay-style music they play, but they’ve got some quality I think.”

Rossa is expecting more than 10,000 to attend the planned concert to see her perform her 20 hit songs.

Born in Sumedang, West Java, on Oct. 9, 1978, Rossa rose to fame with her debut Nada-Nada Cinta (Tones of Love) in 1996. Following this, she went on to release four full-length albums: Tegar (Strong) in 2000, Kini (Now) in 2002 and Kembali (Return) in 2004, and her latest self-titled album was released last year.

Rossa is so popular she had a film named after one of her hits — Ayat-ayat Cinta (Verses of Love), which was released nationwide in 2008.

Her five albums have sold hundreds of thousands of copies and she has won numerous awards including best female singer at the 2000 MTV Indonesia Music Awards and best foreign singer at Malaysia’s AIM Awards in 2008.

For inspiration, Rossa looks up to some of the best and biggest names in the business — the likes of Melly Goeslaw, Anto Hoed and Yovie Widianto.

“Melly and Anto Hoed made great contributions to my early career. I also have learned a lot from Mas Yovie,” she said.

“He taught me about the music industry and how to sing songs that have a commercial slant. He has also written some songs for me,” she said.

And after being in the industry for a number of years, Rossa has learned the ropes. Rather than relying on recorded works, Rossa has tried many different things to keep herself in the spotlight.

“I realize I have to be creative to survive in the music industry. I have to come up with different plans every year to maintain my position, as well as to keep my fans,” she said.

Two years ago, she held a solo concert billed “Persembahan Cinta” (Gift of Love) which required her to work with Erwin and Jay.

Last year, Rossa hit the road and performed in cities including Surabaya and Bandung, in a series of tours called “Konser Cerita Cinta” (Love Story Concerts).

“I rarely had days off. You can check my schedule from that time. I like working. I love my job very much and I enjoy it. So I always ask my management not to give me time to rest,” Rossa said.

“I don’t have much time to go traveling with my family. The solution is I sometimes take them with me when I’m touring in other countries or different cities.”

And Rossa’s schedule is set to become more hectic soon as she has been named as one of the judges for the Indonesian Idol talent contest, alongside Erwin, musician Anang Hermansyah and singer Agnes Monica.

Even after the Malaysian concert, there is no stopping for her. Rossa expects to perform in Singapore sometime this year. In the meantime, she is working on a best-of collection that will also have two or three new songs.

This hard work is a preparation for her retirement from the fleeting music business.

“Someday, I want to retire from the music industry and start a new business, like opening a boutique hotel. So I can lay low, enjoy the fruit of my hard work and raise my boy,” she said. The property business has attracted her interest recently.

May be then she will be no longer be hounded by gossip reporters trying to get a scoop on her personal life.

Rossa grabbed tabloid headlines in 2004 when she decided to get married. The couple’s lavish wedding party in Rossa’s hometown of Sumedang was widely reported by entertainment journalists.

Her face once again appeared in the headlines when the story of her troubled marriage leaked to the press in the period leading to their break-up in 2009. She filed for a divorce and was granted custody of their son.

Rossa shed a little light on the issue.

“Rizky was still a baby when this whole thing happened. I never told Yoyo what to do. I let him do whatever he wanted to do. I always gave him room. I just let everything flow,” she said.

Now, rather than dwelling on the divorce issue, she has opted to focus on her career. She is determined not to let her divorce end her happiness.

Rossa has kept moving forward, doing her routines, releasing singles, promoting her albums and touring.
“There are many other things I can explore instead of just telling my personal woes to the public. And Yoyo is not the kind of person who likes to do that either,” Rossa said.

Rossa also said she had no problem explaining the problems to Rizky.

“Rizky knows his father doesn’t live in the same house anymore. If he asks about him, I just give Yoyo a call to tell him his son misses him. I always tell Rizky his father is busy working.”

“And if Yoyo has the time, he comes to see Rizky. I never ask him to come or expect much from him because I’m afraid it will become a burden for me or cause a disappointment.”  

For now, Rossa is trying to put her troubles behind her and has decided to enjoy her role as a single parent.

And no matter how busy she is, there’s still time for Rizky.

“He’s part of my job. He always comes with me. If I travel out of town for a concert and if I can’t take him with me, I have my mother taking care of him,” he said.

When she’s free, she finds time to drop off Rizky at school, play with him or take him to the mall.

Rossa relishes her new role as single mother. The reason she agreed to have an interview at her home is so she could be around her son, who recently developed a penchant for beating the drums.

“If he’s really into playing drums, well, he’s got the best teacher there is. Yoyo is one of the best drummers in Indonesia,” she said.

And when not busy looking after Rizky, Rossa is a regular mom who likes to hang out with female friends and joining religious gatherings.

It seems Rossa does not want to let go of her new freedom. When asked about finding new love, she giggled before saying: “Not yet. It seems it’s easier to create a new album than look for a new husband.”

Well, it seems the divorce did her some good.

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