Mr Chrisye

Chrismansyah Rahadi (16 September 1949 – 30 March 2007), better known by his stage name Chrisye ([xərifə]), was an Indonesian progressive-pop singer and song writer of mixed Chinese-Indonesian descent.

Born in Jakarta, Chrisye became interested in music at a young age. By high school, he played bass guitar in a band that he formed with his brother Joris. In the late 1960s, he joined Sabda Nada (later Gipsy), a band led by his neighbours, the Nasutions. In 1973, he joined the band to play in New York for a year. He briefly returned to Indonesia and then went back to New York with another band, the Pro's. When he returned to Indonesia, he collaborated with Gipsy and Guruh Soekarnoputra to record the 1976 indie album Guruh Gipsy.

In 1977, after the success of Guruh Gipsy, Chrisye recorded two of his most critically acclaimed works: "Lilin-Lilin Kecil" by James F. Sundah, which eventually became his signature song, and the soundtrack album Badai Pasti Berlalu. These successes allowed him to sign with Musica Studios, with whom he released his first solo album, Sabda Alam, in 1978. Over his nearly 25 year career with Musica, he released eighteen more albums. He also acted in a single film, 1981's Seindah Rembulan. On 30 March 2007, he died in his Jakarta home after a long battle with lung cancer, leaving behind a wife, Gusti Firoza Damayanti Noor, and four children.

Chrisye, known for his stiff stage persona and smooth vocals, received critical acclaim in Indonesia. Five albums on which he contributed were listed in Rolling Stone Indonesia's list of the 150 Greatest Indonesian Albums of All Time, while another five of his songs (and a sixth he contributed to) were named as some of the best Indonesian songs of all time in a later issue. Several of his albums received certification of silver or higher. He received two lifetime achievement awards, one in 1993 from the BASF Awards and another posthumously in 2007 from Indonesian television station SCTV; Rolling Stone Indonesia declared him the third-greatest Indonesian musician of all time in 2011.

Personal life

Aciu Widjaja, now President-Director of Air Asia, described Chrisye as a simple man and said that one time, when he, Chrisye, and several others had gone overseas Chrisye was the only one who did not look for brand-name clothing or world-class restaurants; instead he ate at a food court and bought what he felt was comfortable.In his biography, Chrisye noted that he enjoyed eating at roadside foodstalls well after his marriage and would be perplexed when people stared at him.Guruh recalled that he would sleep anywhere possible during extended planning sessions, including under the piano.

After his marriage to Yanti, she stopped her singing career and became a housewife. After they had children, there were times when Chrisye had little time to spend with them as he was busy performing or recording; however, he attempted to spend as much time with them as possible, at times picking the children up from school. In a 1992 interview, he said that his children did not want to follow their parents' footsteps and become singers because they had seen the stresses it put on the family.

Honours and awards

During his career, Chrisye received numerous awards. In 1979 he was selected as Favourite Singer of the Indonesian Armed Forces.His albums Sabda Alam and Aku Cinta Dia were certified gold, while the albums Hip Hip Hura, Resesi, Metropolitan, and Sendiri were certified silver.

Chrisye received three BASF Awards, held by the BASF cassette production up to the mid 1990s, for bestselling albums; his first was in 1984 for Sendiri, followed by one in 1988 for Jumpa Pertama and one in 1989 for Pergilah Kasih. He received the BASF Lifetime Achievement Award in 1994 for his contributions to Indonesian music; the same year he received the BASF Award for Best Recording Artist. In 1997 he received an Anugerah Musik Indonesia for Best Male Pop Singer. The following year Kala Cinta Menggoda won nine AMIs, including Best Album; Chrisye himself received awards for Best Male Pop Singer, Best Recording Singer, and Best Graphic Designer (shared with Gauri). In 2007, he posthumously received the first SCTV Lifetime Achievement Award; it was accepted by his daughter Risty.

Illness and death (2005–2007)

Chrisye's grave in Jeruk Purut Cemetery

In July 2005, Chrisye was checked into Pondok Indah Hospital, complaining of difficulty breathing. After thirteen days of treatment, he was moved to the Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore, where he was diagnosed with lung cancer. Although he expressed concern about losing his hair, which he considered part of his image, he underwent the first of six rounds of chemotherapy on 2 August 2005.

Chrisye's health improved in 2006, and he was able to sustain long interview sessions with Alberthiene Endah in May and November 2006 as she prepared to write his biography. He also released two compilation albums, Chrisye by Request and Chrisye Duets; however, he reportedly did not feel well enough to release new songs. By February 2007, however, his health was fading.

Chrisye died at 4:08 AM WIB (UTC+7) in his home in Cipete, South Jakarta. He was buried in Jeruk Purut Public Cemetery, South Jakarta, on 30 March 2007. His funeral was attended by hundreds, including Indonesian celebrities such as his collaborator Erwin Gutawa and singers Titiek Puspa, Ahmad Albar, Sophia Latjuba, and Ikang Fawzi. The funeral, however, was marred by the actions of pickpockets, one of which was captured but later released.

A hundred days after Chrisye's death, Musica released two compilation albums. Entitled Chrisye in Memoriam - Greatest Hits and Chrisye in Memoriam - Everlasting Hits, the two albums contained fourteen hits from albums ranging from Sabda Alam to Senyawa. On 1 August 2008, Chrisye's last single "Lirih" ("Gentle Voice"), written by Aryono Huboyo Djati, was released posthumously. The song's existence was previously kept secret, and the recording date is unknown. Djati has said that it was recorded "for fun". A music video directed by Vicky Sianipar and featuring Ariel Peterpan, Giring from Nidji, and Chrisye's widow was later released.

adapted from :http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrisye
Rofiul Is-One