Iwan Fals

He is a father…
He is a musician…
He is a singer…
He is a songwriter…
He is a hero…
He is a living legend…
Iwan Fals will always be a special figure to me…

Iwan Fals was born as Virgiawan Listanto, on September 3, 1961. He spent his childhood in many places. From Jakarta, he moved to Bandung to spend his junior and senior high school years. He also had lived in Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) with his aunty for awhile - only for 8 months – because he felt lonely and he said that the guitar given to him by his mom was only his only friend. On his flight back home, a steward taught him how to play Bob Dylan’s song “Blowing in the Wind” with his guitar. Just like the song, he has kept on blowing.

When he grew up as a teenager, he admired The Rolling Stones. But this band’s songs were too difficult for him to play, so Iwan Fals decided to compose his own song. He often wrote funny songs. His friend even challenged him to sing on the street and he could collect money from it. Although his parents got angry, he still sang on the street until he became a father. He married with Rosanna in Bandung. When his second child, Annisa Cikal Bambu Basae, was born in 1985, he moved to Jakarta with his beloved wife and his children for planning his music career.

Although his early albums failed on the market, he didn’t give up. He still tried again and again. His hard work began to pay off when he got a record deal with Musica and released album, titled “Sarjana Muda” in 1981, with the hit single, Guru Oemar Bakrie. He also made an appearance on the big screen when director Sopan Sophian asked him to play in “Damai Kita Sepanjang Hari” in 1984. After releasing Mata Dewa in 1989, he planned to have a 100-City tour, but too bad the show was cancelled because he was banned by the government from holding any concerts, because his lyrics were considered too sharp. In the early 90’s, he collaborated with bands like Swami, Dalbo, Kantata Tawa, and Hijau. Kantata Tawa and Iwan Fals held a historical concert in front of 150.000 people in the National Stadium Senayan, Jakarta, on January 23, 1960.

Every person must have a dark time on his/her life. It also happened to Iwan Fals when his first son, Galang Rambu Anarki, passed away on April 25, 1997. He had his son buried in his backyard at Lewinanggung Depok, Bogor to make him feel closer to his son. Iwan Fals found himself at the lowest point of his life. He locked himself away from the world, even from the music world. Once he wanted to move to New York because his second child, Cikal, wanted to study there. But when he thought it over, he found a new beginning in Indonesia. He believed Indonesia is the home for many ideas, from music to culture. After a 10-year absence, he recorded a new album, Suara Hati, in 2002 and held a long tour - Satu Rasa Tour - to 34 cities around Indonesia. He has also been choosen as one of the Asian Heroes by Time Asia Magazine.

After his third child, Rayya Rambu Rabbani, born on January 22, 2003, he was inspired to start his music career again. He has released a new album, In Collaboration with… In this album he gave young and talented Indonesian musicians the opportunity to collaborate with him.

Besides his attention to the condition of Indonesia which he shared in almost every song he made, he is also running a social foundation for kids and seniors. I admired him as my hero because I was so impressed about his idealism of life. He believed that the future is a mystery. He makes me face my destiny and remember to praise the Lord in any way, including through the music (since I found my interest in playing music). He said that whatever happens to Indonesia and the music, he still cares, and I want to have such positive thoughts like him.