Didi Kempot real name Didik Prasetyo was an Indonesian singer and songwriter in the campursari style. Didi was born in Surakarta, Indonesia on 31 December 1966.
Early career
He started working as a street busker in his hometown between 1984 and 1986 before moving to Jakarta. According to him, when he arrived in Jakarta to pursue a career in music, he and eight of his friends slept in a narrow room for Rp15,000 per month.
He said that the room was so narrow that they “sometimes could only sleep on their side [because of the lack of space].” The name “Kempot”, which is an portmanteau of Kelompok Penyanyi Trotoar (Sidewalk Singer Group), was also coined in Jakarta.
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Didi Kempot said that at the time, they did not earn enough money to save, because every time they earned some amount, the money would be spent on drinks. However, this period was a productive time as he wrote many songs, including “We Cen Yu”, “Cidro” (Broken), “Moblong-Moblong” (Perforated), “Lerteler Meneh” (Drunk Again) and “Podo Pintere” (Equally Smart).
According to Didi, these songs were popular among fellow buskers, even though he had not yet released them officially. This convinced him to continue pursuing a music career.
After busking, Didi Kempot usually found time to record songs using blank tapes and tape recorders. When a song had been recorded, Didi handed it directly to various recording studios as a demo. Didi recounted that often the tape only got so far as the security desk. Some of the labels Didi applied for were MSC Plus and Musica Studios.
Musica Studios eventually called Didi because they were interested in his demo tape. Didi was then assisted by Pompi Suradimansyah, a member of the band No Koes, in arranging music. In 1989, he released the single “Cidro” (“Broken”), which did not immediately become popular at the time.
Although “Cidro” had no success in Indonesia at the time of its release, it was a hit in the Netherlands and Suriname, two countries that have a significant Indonesian diaspora, especially those of Javanese descent.
Didi Kempot then was invited to hold a concert there. In 1993, Didi left for the Netherlands. When he arrived in the Netherlands, Didi was surprised that many memorized “Cidro”.
In the 1990s, Didi released the songs “Sewu Kutho” (“A Thousand Cities”) and “Stasiun Balapan” (“Balapan Station”), which became hits in Indonesia.
Didi Kempot’s fame in his home country rose after his album Stasiun Balapan (1999) exploded in the market.
His popularity briefly waned with the turn of the century, but in the 2010s he regained his prominence especially among younger people.
According to music researcher Irfan R. Darajat from Laras Studies of Music in Society, the rise of Didi was part of a recent effort of “hipster-washing” to raise up music that was previously considered “uncool”, such as dangdut and qasidah.
In April 2020, he streamed a live charity concert from his house and raised a total Rp7.6 billion (~$500,000) to help Indonesians affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. He also released a song entitled “Ojo Mudik” (“Don’t Go Mudik”), pleading his fans not to go back home during the Eid al-Fitr holiday season to prevent further spread of the coronavirus.
Didi Kempot death, Didi Kempot cause of death, How did Didi Kempot die?
Didi Kempot died of complications from cardiac arrest on 5 May 2020 in Surakarta. He is survived by his wife and two children.
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