J

akarta, the capital of the world’s fourth-most populous country, seems a faraway land to American singer Madeline Bell.

The city, the soul musician laments, is a place she only saw in photographs and heard about from the mouths of others.

That’s why the 69-year-old is thrilled about her upcoming visit to the vibrant city.

Bell will land in Jakarta for the very first time to perform with the internationally-acclaimed Dolf de Vries Trio at the Java Jazz Festival this weekend.

“I am really excited because I have never been there before … I am a real fan of Indonesian food, that is what I am looking forward, as well,” the singer says in a telephone interview with The Jakarta Post.

She adds her knowledge of delicious Indonesian dishes stems from her dearest friends in the Netherlands.

Apart from the experience and the food, the songstress, who resides in Spain, points out that she has one more reason to be excited for about her visit.

That particular reason turns out to be that another great US musician, Stevie Wonder, who she hails as her “absolute favorite” singer to work with, will also perform at the festival.

“I had the pleasure of working with him many years ago. It was in London (and) I was backing vocals for him … and I am hoping and praying that I get the chance to see him again,” she says.

“This is another reason why I am so happy to be coming to Jakarta. When I saw his name, I said ‘oh my goodness’”.

Bell’s supreme vocal abilities has led to collaborations with many international stars, including Elton John, The Rolling Stones, Ray Charles, Dionne Warwick, George Michael and Billy Preston.

A friend of hers says she always adds some new names to her list of music collaborations every time the topic comes up.

She laughs as she contemplates working with rising pop sensations like Katy Perry or Justin Beiber.

“They haven’t asked me. I am not going to ask them, they have to ask me,” she finally declares.

The singer of hits like “I’m Gonna Make You Love Me” comments on how the world is unfair to some musicians who spend their whole lives eking out a living, while others, who she admits are talented, become famous and rich in an instant.

Bell herself belongs to a generation of musicians who do not build a career in music in one night. She has earned her success from years of hard work within the industry.

Born on July 23, 1942, Bell grew up in Newark, New Jersey, and was strongly influenced by gospel music. She discovered her musical talents very early, at age five.

However, she only began to take music seriously when she was 16, joining her first gospel group, The Glovertones, that took her to performances in New Jersey and New York, where audiences were captivated by her illuminating voice.

The chance to bring her career to a global stage came when she joined vocal group The Bradford Singers. The group sang all over the states and toured Europe in the early 1960s as part of the off-Broadway hit show, “Black Nativity”. After completion of the tour, Bell decided to make England her home.

“This is where I started,” she says of the reason why she chose to stay in England, instead of returning to the US.

Bell’s music career continued to soar in the 1970s as she got into English and international charts as half of the famous pop duo Blue Mink. Most Indonesian fans recall Bell as the face of the group, which scored a number of hits including “The Banner Man”, “Melting Pot” and “Good Morning Freedom”.

The following decade, Bell again found fame from her interpretation of classical works with The New London Choral in The Young Amadeus, The Young Messiah and The Young Verdi, which quickly sold a million copies.

Theater fanatics also knew her for her splendid appearance in the famous musical “The Cotton Club”, which in the late 1990s was seen by hundreds of thousands of spectators in sold-out shows.

The highlight of her career happened in June 2003, when she received a Life Time Achievement Award from the Music Heritage Foundation for her significant and outstanding contribution to the music industry. Many prominent celebrities attended the event, which was held in London. The award has placed her as one of the world’s greatest musicians with fantastic songs and immaculate performances.

Having an established career in the music industry for almost 50 years and collaborations with top musicians, Bell is proof that true stardom is not something that an artist can build overnight.

She even attributes her fame to her strong roots in gospel, which is a major influence on her singing style.

“Everything I do, I like to do as soulful as I possibly can and perform like I am in church,” she reveals as the key to her success.

After experiencing all the fame and fortune, Bell now prefers to keep things slow.

She is not making albums now. Her latest was in 2005 called This is Love.

But is still busy performing across Europe.

For a woman approaching 70, Bell is deemed extremely active as she travels to more than three European cities a month to perform.

Judging from her hectic schedule, it is no wonder the word retirement has never crossed her mind.

“I don’t see my self retiring until I can’t sing anymore. As long as I still can sing, I will be singing,” she declares.

Madeline Bell was scheduled toperform at the Java Jazz Festival on Friday, March 2, at the C2 Hall and Saturday, March 3 at the JavaJazz Stage.

She will also perform in Medan on March 9 and 10.