After being rejected from as many as six big recording companies, Vidi finally hit the jackpot when he decided to take a different path, releasing his own album - independently.

"People who believe I became popular instantly are so wrong," said the 20-year-old singer whose real name is Oxavia Aldiano. "The truth is, it took me around three years to become famous," he added.

JP/Dian Kuswandini

Vidi doesn't blame people for getting the wrong idea about him. After all, it's true he shot to stardom in a relatively short period of time after releasing his debut single "Nuansa Bening".

"Just a few weeks after the song was aired on radio stations, I started to be noticed," said Vidi, who just received an MTV award last year. "It all came all of a sudden - and shocked me," he giggled.

Before that, he recalled, he kept on hitting a brick wall when sending his demo tapes. One might think that his father, a renowned event organizer with a wide network in showbiz, would have opened a few doors for him - however that was not the case.

"I did help send my son's demo tapes to some producers I know," said Vidi's father Harry Kiss. "But none of them were successful. They told me: *The trend now is bands, not solo artists. If your son was in a band, perhaps we would reconsider our decision.'"

Harry, however, believed in his son's talent, and didn't think he should sacrifice that much for the sake of popularity. And Vidi believed it was only a question of time before an opportunity popped up.

The opportunity finally materialized last year, when Vidi left music producer Lala Hamid stunned as he sang a number of songs before her. In a firm belief that Vidi could be the next "idol", Lala decided to produce Vidi's singles, which were later released under a small label.

And the rest is history - Vidi is suddenly everywhere on stages and TV stations - as we have witnessed now. He has amazed everyone with his super fine and unique voice. Six rejections don't seem to mean anything to him at the end of the day.

In fact, he admitted he could only thank all those who pushed him back for putting him in the right spot at the right moment, when there weren't many young male solo artists in the country's music industry. Vidi's biggest rival, perhaps, is Afgan Syahreza, who rose to fame just a few months before him.

"I can't say whether (he's my) rival or not," he said. "We're just in different *music* genres," he added, referring to his energetic, more upbeat songs, compared to Afgan's mellow ballads.

With his music, Vidi has managed to embrace fans from different age groups - young and old. His second single "Status Palsu" (Fake Status), for instance, has stolen the hearts of many young listeners.

Vidi said he never tried to be the best - he loves to perform simply because he has always enjoyed singing since he was a kid. His mother, in fact, is a music teacher, so Vidi was exposed to music at a young age.

"Believe it or not, Vidi was familiar with musical notes before he could read the alphabet," Harry said, laughing. "When he was a kid, and we traveled by car, he would never allow us to turn on the radio because he wanted to sing in the car and entertain us," he added.

Vidi laughed aloud when he heard this comment. Back then, even until high school, he said, he had never thought about becoming a singer.

"Honestly, I never imagined myself being a professional singer," said the engineering student at Pelita Harapan University. "I just love to sing., it's my biggest hobby, but I always thought I wanted to be a doctor because I also love studying science."

But later on, Vidi said, many spotted his talent and convinced him he should try his luck in showbiz.

"But I took it slowly," he said. "For example, when I came up with *Nuansa Bening', which is actually an old song, I carefully studied it, adjusting it to my personality.

"I didn't just sing it as it is. I sang it with my own *color', pretending I was the first one to sing it," he added.

Although he finally made it to the top, Vidi said he still held onto another dream for his future.

"I of course want to continue singing," he said. "But hopefully, someday, I can run my own business or something."

What kind of business?

"Well, I can't say for now," he smiled. "Let's just see!"

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