5 Legendary Indonesian Dangdut Performers

Dangdut is the music of my country. Ever had that line of song from Project Pop, one of the most famous bands in Indonesia, lingering in your mind for a period of time?

It is indeed a great reminder especially for us Indonesians that dangdut is authentically the folk music of Indonesia.

As a native song genre in Indonesia, you must have known certain names that have continued to dominate the dangdut industry.

Being played in public places or during karaoke sessions, there are some dangdut performers who are among the must-play list of dangdut songs from generation to generation, making the name legendary despite entering the industry from decades ago.

Here is the list of five legendary Indonesian dangdut performers that you should be familiar of!

1. Rhoma Irama

One of the most famous Indonesian dangdut performers of all ages is Rhoma Irama.

Beginning his career by forming a band called Soneta Group, Rhoma Irama has then continued to rise up his dangdut career and achieved numerous musical successes.

He has been active in singing dangdut songs since 1967, and is now widely known as “the King of Dangdut” with high influences not only in Indonesia, but also in Malaysia, India, and Western countries.

Up to the present, Rhoma Irama has lived up the atmosphere of dangdut songs through his group and solo albums.

While most of his lyrics are tailored to Islamic studies like Keramat and Salawat Nabi, some other songs like Haram are instilled with some values comprising drugs, gambling, and government corruption, adding up the social functions of music in Indonesia.

He originally wrote some of his songs, and in the present age of 73, he is still considered quite active in performing dangdut songs.

2. Mansyur S.

Another well-known legendary dangdut singer is Mansyur S.

Has also been singing since the 1970s, he began his career by releasing his album called Pesan Perpisahan, and has continued to create up to 16 albums up to 2013.

A lot of music awards have also been successfully won by this dangdut performer like the AMI Award for Dangdut Song, all accomplished as a result of his brilliant voice and songs.

Mansyur S.’s dangdut songs are among the list of songs that dangdut lovers should be familiar of until today. Among those are the songs entitled Gadis and Air Mata Perkawinan.

Although his career today may not be as shining as it used to be back then, but Mansyur S. is still another senior dangdut performer with legendary songs that will not easily be forgotten by the society.

3. Iis Dahlia

Iis Dahlia is undoubtedly another name in the list of legendary dangdut performers in Indonesia.

Her career was initiated by releasing a dangdut album entitled Tamu Tak Diundang, and has continued to fill the dangdut industry since 1987.

During her 30 years of career, she has established around 40 albums.

Among the numerous solo albums she has created, some of her songs stood out and have been played in many platforms.

This includes the songs entitled Cinta Bukanlah Kapal, Payung Hitam, and Ser.

She has also performed duo performances with other fellow dangdut singers like Yus Yunus and Tommy Ali.

Iis Dahlia is still colouring the dangdut world up to the present time with her brilliant voice.

4. Ida Laila

Another legendary Indonesian dangdut performer is the late Ida Laila.

Ida Laila was one of the most famous dangdut singer in the 1960s-1980s, firstly establishing her career through a musical orchestra group in Surabaya.

She then continued to release her personal music albums and successfully won the HDX Awards (now AMI Awards) for two consecutive years in 1987-1988.

Ida Laila has released many songs during her musical career.

Some of the most popular songs are entitled Sepiring Berdua, Keagungan Tuhan, and Siksa Kubur, where Sepiring Berdua was also the title of her album which was the most skyrocketing.

Following her recent death in September 2019, Ida Laila is now in our deep remembrance, while her dangdut songs will continue to live in our hearts.

5. Ikke Nurjanah

Last but not least, Ikke Nurjanah should not be opted out from this list of legendary Indonesian dangdut performers.

She has been well-known for becoming a dangdut singer since 1987, where her first album entitled Ojo Lali initiated her brilliant career immediately.

Her quality has been proven through various achievements, including winning the AMI Awards as the best female dangdut singer for three consecutive years in 1997, 1998, and 1999.

Aside from Ojo Lali, Ikke Nurjanah has also published numerous solo albums. Other popular ones include Sun Sing Suwe and Terlena.

She has also performed some collaborations with the late Ida Laila, Mila Roza and Erie Suzan, and still continues to shine the dangdut stage and add up the great importance of music in Indonesian culture until today.

Those are the names included in the five legendary Indonesian dangdut performers that you should know.

Other names are of course as talented, yet these are probably some of the oldest ones with legendary songs.

Be sure to listen to their songs—the Indonesian dangdut songs, one of the unique styles of music in Indonesia, that we will always be proud of.