Rhoma Irama

Rhoma Irama
Background information
Birth name	Raden Irama
Born	December 11, 1946 (1946-12-11) Tasikmalaya, West Java, Indonesia
Genres	Dangdut
Occupations	Musician, songwriter, actor
Instruments	Vocals, guitar
Years active	1967–present
Associated acts	Soneta Group, Ridho Rhoma
Website	http://www.rajadangdut.com

Raden Irama (born December 11, 1946, in Tasikmalaya, West Java), most commonly known as Rhoma Irama, is an Indonesian dangdut musician and occasional actor. During the height of his stardom in the 1970s, he became the self-proclaimed Raja Dangdut (King of Dangdut) with his group Soneta.

He was known as his stage name Oma Irama before he made a pilgrimage to Mecca and became a haji. He later took the name Rhoma Irama, which is an abbreviation of "Raden Haji Oma Irama" (Raden is an aristocracy title for Javanese and Sundanese cultures). Rhoma Irama is a member of aristocrat class of Sundanese from both his father, Raden Burdah Anggawirya, and mother, R.H. Tuti Juariah.

His career began in the late 1960s when he recorded solo records and with the group Orkes Melayu Purnama. He sang duets on several record LPs with Indonesian female vocal stars such as Inneke Kusumawati, Ellya Khadam, Lily Junaedhy, Vivi Sumanti, and the later to be crowned 'Queen of Dangdut', Elvy Sukaesih. Once Oma broke from recording with the Purnama Group, he eventually formed Orkes Melayu Soneta, the first so-called Dangdut group. In fact, Oma established the term "Dangdut" with a song by that name from the early 70's. He wrote the classics "Kareta Malam" and "Kuda Lumping" which were sung by Elvy Sukaesih. Once Soneta was established in the early 70's, Oma changed his name to Rhoma and went on a decade long run of successful hit records and films, all of which starred Rhoma playing himself while performing all of his hits.

His 1974 album, Begadang, ranked #11 on Rolling Stone Indonesia's "150 Greatest Indonesian Albums of All Time" list. Furthermore, the main single "Begadang" reached at number 24 on the magazine's "150 Greatest Indonesian Songs of All Time" list.

His daughter, Nazila, married a teacher from International Turkish Schools.

Discography

Pre Soneta

• Djangan Kau Marah
• Di Rumah Sadja
• Di Dalam Bemo
• Biarkan Aku Pergi
• Anak Pertama
• Djenggo
• In Dan Dip
• Pemburu

With OM Soneta

• Dangdut
• Surat Terakhir
• Berbulan Madu
• Gelandangan
• Joget
• Janda Kembang
• Tiada Lagi

With Soneta Group (Volume Series)

• Soneta Vol-1 Begadang (1973)
• Soneta Vol-2 Penasaran (1974)
• Soneta Vol-3 Rupiah (1975)
• Soneta Vol-4 Darah Muda (1975)
• Soneta Vol-5 Musik (1976)
• Soneta Vol-6 135.000.000 (1977)
• Soneta Vol-7 Santai (1977)
• Soneta Vol-8 Hak Azazi (1978)
• Soneta Vol-9 Begadang 2 (1979)
• Soneta Vol-10 Sahabat (1980)
• Soneta Vol-11 Indonesia (1980)
• Soneta Vol-12 Renungan Dalam Nada (1981)
• Soneta Vol-13 Emansipasi Wanita (1983)
• Soneta Vol-14 Judi (1989)
• Soneta Vol-15 Gali Lobang Tutup Lobang (1989)
• Soneta Vol-16 Bujangan (1994)

Movie Soundtrack Albums

• Oma Irama Penasaran
• Gitar Tua Oma Irama
• Darah Muda
• Begadang
• Berkelana I
• Berkelana II
• Raja Dangdut
• Camelia
• Cinta Segitiga
• Perjuangan dan Doa
• Melodi Cinta
• Badai di Awal Bahagia
• Sebuah Pengorbanan
• Cinta Kembar
• Pengabdian
• Satria Bergitar
• Kemilau Cinta di Langit Jingga
• Menggapai Matahari I
• Menggapai Matahari II
• Nada-Nada Rindu
• Bunga Desa
• Jaka Swara
• Nada dan Dakwah
• Tabir Biru
• Dawai 2 Asmara

Rhoma Irama Solo Albums

• Pemilu (1982)
• Lebaran (1984)
• Persaingan (1986)
• Haji (1988)
• Modern (1989)
• Haram (1990)
• Salawat Nabi (1991)
• Kehilangan Tongkat (1993)
• Rana Duka (1994)
• Stress (1995)
• Baca (1995)
• Viva Dangdut 1996
• Mirasantika (1997)
• Reformasi (1998)
• Euforia (2000)
• Syahdu (2001)
• Asmara (2003)
• Jana Jana (2008)
• Azza(2010)

Filmography

• Oma Irama Penasaran (1976)
• Gitar Tua Oma Irama (1977)
• Darah Muda (1977)
• Rhoma Irama Berkelana I (1978)
• Rhoma Irama Berkelana II (1978)
• Begadang (1978)
• Raja Dangdut (1978)
• Cinta Segitiga (1979)
• Camelia (1979)
• Perjuangan dan Doa (1980)
• Melody Cinta Rhoma Irama (1980)
• Badai di Awal Bahagia (1981)
• Sebuah Pengorbanan (1982)
• Satria Bergitar (1984)
• Pengabdian (1984)
• Kemilau Cinta di Langit Jingga (1985)
• Menggapai Matahari I (1986)
• Menggapai Matahari II (1986)
• Nada-nada Rindu (1987)
• Bunga Desa (1988)
• Jaka Swara (1990)
• Nada dan Dakwah (1991)
• Tabir Biru (1994)
• Dawai 2 Asmara (2010)
• Sajadah Ka'bah (2011)

External links

• "Hips Don't Lie: A pop singer and a potentially violent culture war in the world's biggest Muslim state.", "The Wall Street Journal", April 3, 2007