Courtesy of kawanku

Former child singer Bondan Prakoso, known for his hit single Si Lumba-Lumba (The Dolphins), makes a smooth comeback and scores another hit with Ya Sudahlah (Whatever).

“Apapun yang terjadi, ku kan slalu ada untukmu. Janganlah kau bersedih, cause everything’s gonna be OK.” (Whatever happens, I’ll be there for you. Don’t be sad, cause everything’s gonna be OK.)

These lyrics are from the chorus of Ya Sudahlah, performed by Bondan and rap group Fade2Black (F2B). The song has become a hit across the country.

Part of Bondan and F2B’s third album, For All, the song can be heard in every corner of the capital, from streets and buses to schools and TVs. Bondan himself said that he was surprised by the popularity of the single.

“It’s really beyond my expectations,” he told The Jakarta Post recently.

“When we wrote this song, we only planned to make it into an easy listening kind of song. We had hoped people would like it. It turned out that the response was amazing. We’re very surprised.”

The song has brought Bondan and F2B into the limelight. They have been flooded with offers for tour and
gigs, as well as live performances at several TV stations. During a break while shooting at Trans TV’s studio in Mampang, South Jakarta, I had a chance to chat with Bondan.

Although he looked tired, Bondan gave me a warm welcome. He had just finished a performance for a
morning music show at another television station in Kebon Jeruk, West Jakarta. Trans TV was his second performance of the day.

“I’m so sorry we have to do the interview here. Is it OK?” he said.

He told me about his journey in the music business. Born twenty eight years ago, Bondan started his singing career when he was six with the release of his debut album, which was produced by his father Sisco Batara.

Bondan got the public’s attention after the launch of his fifth record, which included the hit track Si Lumba-lumba. His next two albums, however, were not as successful.

Bondan took a break from the music world when he was in junior high.     

“I took some time off from singing because there was a big change in my voice and I could no longer reach high notes. I thought singing children’s songs didn’t suit me anymore,” he said.

He then learned to play musical instruments such as the guitar and drums, before deciding to focus on the bass.

Bondan could not stay away from the music world. He was back in 1999 with his funk rock band’s debut. Funky Kopral followed with a second record a year later.

In 2002, the band worked with musician and entrepreneur Setiawan Djody, and released an album under Djody’s record label.

It only took three years with Funky Kopral for Bondan to decide to quit the band to focus on obtaining his degree in Dutch Literature at the University of Indonesia.

A meeting with Tito, a member of the rap group F2B and his former schoolmate, that changed his life.
Bondan said he was not into rap initially. “I started to learn more about rap from Tito. I think F2B is one of the rap groups in Indonesia that is trying to bring rap back to the way it used to be, discussing the realities of life,” he said.

“If we watch TV and see rap videos with bling and sexy ladies, that’s all fake. Rap is originally from the streets. And Fade2Black is trying to revive that idea.”     

The 28-year-old shifted from rock to rap and decided to collaborate with the rap group.

F2B itself consists of three rappers — Titz, Santoz and Lezzano.

Did Bondan find it difficult to adapt to this new genre? “Once you get the formula and learns about the tricks it’s not that difficult.

Rappers only need some beats to rap around. No matter what the music is — whether it’s reggae or dangdut.”

“It took some time for me to digest all of this, but now it flows easily.”

Bondan and F2B released their first record, Respect, in 2005, followed by Unity two years later.

The collaboration dared to combine rap with other types of music, including keroncong.  

“We essentially try to change people’s perceptions of rap. It is much wider than you’ve ever thought. Rap can merge with anything, just like water. Rap can be combined with various genres,” said Bondan, who produced all the albums.  

On the first album, they mixed rap with pop, funk and rock, while they put some touches of reggae and keroncong on the second record.

 “Keroncong is Indonesia’s original traditional music. Some might say that it is originally from the Portuguese. The Portuguese came to the country in the 15th century and brought an instrument which made a ‘crong, crong’ sound,” he said.

“Indonesians combined the [ukulele-like] instrument with other instruments and then came keroncong. We Indonesians are good when it comes to modifying things.”  

Bondan was familiar with the type of music. His parents often play and sing keroncong at home. “My mother used to be a keroncong singer back in her hometown. She inspires me a lot,” he added.

What motivated him to mix rap and keroncong was that he wanted to come up with a more modern version of keroncong. The fruit of the effort is a song titled Keroncong Protol (Broken Keroncong).

He even surprisingly used sinden (a vocalist singing traditional Javanese songs) in the composition.

“You know, sinden is actually the same as falsetto. I did not plan to do sinden when I first composed this track. It was a spontaneous idea.”

“I thought that keroncong without sinden was not keroncong at all. My father helped me do sinden.”

Bondan hopes that young people will learn to like keroncong. “You can listen to rock, jazz, blues and rock and roll, but do you forget that we also have keroncong?”

“We basically want keroncong to become popular again and to remind people to preserve this music.”  

In the middle of this year, Bondan and his friends also held a mini concert dedicated to the legendary keroncong maestro Gesang, who died in May, and performed a duet with keroncong group Tugu.

Even though the unique fusion of rap and keroncong has brought Bondan and F2B stardom, it was the third album, For All, which was launched in April of this year, that really caught the attention of people of all ages.

Bondan said that For All had more things to offer as there was ska, punk melodic, hip metal and pop ballads.

“For the last six years, we’ve been struggling to prove that rap is universal, that rap is not only about hip hop or rhythm-and-blues,” he said, adding that it only took four months to finish the record.  

He said that the two previous albums were too idealistic and personal, while the latest one was more mainstream, and included more down-to-earth yet universal lyrics.  

After the success of Ya Sudahlah, Bondan and F2B are preparing to launch their second single Kita Selamanya (We Forever).

The musicians also created mellow pop, popularly known in the 1980s as pop cengeng (tearful pop), through a track titled Tidurlah (Go to Sleep). It reminds one of songs by Pance Pondaah, Broery Pesolima and Nia Daniati.

Bondan and F2B recently performed at the Jakarta Jam 2010, organized by prominent music promoter Java Musikindo.

They were the only local musicians at the gig, with American rappers like Chingy and Flo Rida.

“It felt good sharing a stage with international musicians. It’s an honor for us because we were chosen from many local artists.”

“For the last six years, we’ve been struggling to prove that rap is universal, that rap is not only about hip hop or rhythm-and-blues, ”

“It’s a good opportunity to prove to non-local artists that our musicians are as qualified as they are and worthy to play at the same event with them,” he said.

Today, Bondan has both fame and money, but wants to achieve more.

“I want to take my music to the international stage. I want the world to know who Bondan Prakoso is,” he said, adding that he had also been dreaming of establishing a band just like the old days.

He told of another obsession — collaborating with rocker Laela Sari.

“She’s a rare woman. Perhaps there’s only one grandma rocker like her in Indonesia. Her energy, her attitude …” he said, adding that he once met her in person at a TV program and had a chance to talk to her.

“I like funk and rock and I think that we could make a great duet together. But it seems like it’s just a dream. There is the age factor.”     

With his tall figure, the guy next door looks and musical talent, Bondan has the qualities that could send his female fans swooning. But, female fans have to accept the fact that he’s no longer a bachelor.

Bondan is a husband and the father of a two-year-old daughter.

His wife is former MTV VJ Margie Caroline, whom he met on a music television show.

Bondan tied the knot three years ago, while he was still struggling to make a name for himself.

He said he wanted to follow the example set by Prophet Muhammad, who got married at a young age. “We can build our career and run a family at the same time,” he said.

“Some people think you have to have savings and a house before you decide to get married. The truth is there are other things that are more important. I think it’s better if we can build everything together with our partner from scratch.”

He said that he has always been open with his wife, letting her know about his schedule two months in
advance.

“Communication is important. It’s how we explain our job. I keep telling [my family] that I do this for them.”

When he’s not busy touring and performing, he tries to spend the day with his family. “I’ve always been busy and have rarely been at home since my daughter was born. So when I have days off I usually spend time with [my family] like going shopping.”  

Amid his hectic schedule, Bondan does not neglect his favorite pastime activity: reading.

The bookworm is drawn to quirky topics such as theology and conspiracy theories, and also spends time surfing the Internet searching for rare books.

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