Cintamu (Your love) is the first Indonesian song that I composed myself. In the video I sing together with Lucie. I wrote this song early last year, when we were sitting in our garden under the cherry blossom tree, enjoying the first warm and nice days of spring. A clear blue sky, a little breeze, a blackbird singing, my smiling girlfriend nearby ….. Lots of inspiration, a perfect moment to write this song.
We recorded the music video in the beautiful green scenery at one of our most favourite spots. We had lots of fun and often had to stop recording because we burst into laughter. Special thanks to the two cute white butterflies who were there at the right place at the right time. A wonderful gift and lovely to see!
I play all music instruments myself. We hope you will enjoy the video and the music. If you like it please support us by buying the song on one of the on-line webshops. Maybe it is a nice gift for Valentine’s Day or another special occasion. You can find the lyric and the English translation below.
Cintamu
Your Love
Cintamu adalah nafasku
Cintamu adalah warna hidupku
Tiada matahari tanpa senyummu
Tanpa dirimu tiada arti hidupku
Your love is my breath
Your love is the color of my life
There is no sunshine without your smile
Without you my life has no meaning
Waktu kita bersama ku rasa bahagia
Kita berjalan sampai ke ujung dunia
The moment we are together I feel happy
We’ll walk until the end of the world
REFREIN
Cintamu adalah hadiah untukku
Cintamu adalah hadiah untukku
Cintamu, semoga kita bersama selalu
Cintamu
CHORUS
Your love is a gift to me
Your love is a gift to me
Your love, let’s hope that we will be together forever
Your love
Matamu adalah cahayaku
Senyummu adalah inspirasiku
Tak bisa ku hidup tanpa dirimu
Tak pernah ku lupa waktu kita bertemu
Your eyes are my light
Your smile is my inspiration
I can not live without you
I’ll never forget the moment we met
Waktu kau mendekati ku rasa jantungku
Berdetak lebih kencang, ku cinta padamu
The moment you approach I feel my heart
Beating faster, I love you
I would like to share a video report made by Al Jazeera’s Step Vaessen from Jakarta.
“Indonesian authorities have launched a campaign to protect thousands of children who live on the streets of the capital Jakarta. The move follows one man’s admission that he raped, murdered and mutilated at least 10 street kids. Officials are concerned that many more children may have been his victims.”
Let’s hope that the Indonesian authorities will be able to protect their child citizens. In the video the kids sing the song Jangan Menyerah (Don’t give up). I dedicate my own cover version of Jangan Menyerah to them, and to all other street children of Indonesia. Read the rest of this entry »
I am pleased to present the audio remake of the Happy New Year Song that I wrote and published in december 2007. The remake is a music production with newly recorded drums, bass, guitars, and vocals by Lucie and me. Play the video below to listen …..
Starting today, the song is for sale in major on-line web shops, you can find more info here. So why not buy this song as a gift for your friends or family, to wish them a Happy New Year?
Whatever you do, wherever you are, Lucie and I wish you a Merry Christmas, and a very happy 2010. May all your dreams come true Read the rest of this entry »
Jangan Menyerah is a beautiful song by the Indonesian band d’Masiv. Jangan Menyerah means “don’t give up” or “don’t surrender”. The band has produced a video clip with beautiful images of life in Indonesia, inspired by a true story of a friend.
In this song I play 4 acoustic guitar tracks. Being inspired by the original video clip of d’Massiv, I have added photos of people that I met during my travels in Indonesia. Read the rest of this entry »
I will give a live performance on Friday the 18th of September on an Indonesian Evening, organized by PPI Enschede. You can find the details at the PPIE website. The evening starts at 18:00, and my performance will be from 18:15 till 18:30. I will play some Indonesian songs that I did not yet publish on the Internet.
Entrance to the event is free. Hope to see you there!!
I am happy to announce that on thursday 30th of July I will be interviewed by Ranesi radio, live from their studio in Hilversum, Netherlands. The broadcast starts at 13:00 CEST (Central European Summer Time), in Indonesia this is at 18:00 WIB. You can listen to the interview worldwide: Internet, satellite, shortwave radio (Indonesia only) and over 80 Indonesian radio stations. Furthermore, in case you are located in Surabaya, the radio station Suara Surabaya has invited me for a talkshow at 16:00 CEST (21:00 WIB). I have added more information about the broadcast below.
The song Usah Kau Lara Sendiri was originally sung by Ruth Sahanaya and Katon Bagaskara. The translation of the title is “Don’t despair all alone”. This cover version with the accompanying video was made in memory of the tsunami in December 2004 and is dedicated to all victims of this tragic disaster. The video also represents the personal story of Ella Meilianda, from Banda Aceh, Indonesia. Since 2004 Ella is doing her PhD research in the University of Twente in Enschede, Netherlands. Her research is about the changes of coastal morphology in the tsunami-affected area. Today, the 19th of June 2009 is the day of her PhD promotion. The tsunami has heavily affected her life, her family, her city, and her research. Ella wants to do something meaningful for the victims of the tsunami, therefore she dedicates her research to them. Furthermore, directly after the PhD defence ceremony Ella and me will give a live performance of this song with the video projected on the background. This is one of my biggest music projects until now, in the recording I play all instruments myself, without any other musicians. You can read the full story and watch the video in this blog entry.
Reporters of Ranesi, Radio Nederland Siaran Bahasa Indonesia, recently visited me in my hometown Enschede. First they shot a video while I was singing in the streets of the city centre. At the same time Dutch people were interviewed about Indonesian pop music. You can watch this video here. Later they made a second video in my home. They filmed my studio, and I played a few songs live on the piano. One of the songs is Desaku, that I sing together with my girlfriend Lucie. Read the rest of this entry to watch the video. It also contains an interview with me in Bahasa Indonesia. Read the rest of this entry »
It is more than a year ago that I heared the song Ada Cinta (by Acha Septriasa and Irwansyah) for the first time. I immediately liked the vocals and the beautiful guitar combined with the orchestra. At that time I didn’t seriously plan to make a cover of the song, but I tried to learn the guitar. I like this classical style of playing, and I started playing along with the song. Than, a few months ago, I got in touch with Ella Meilianda. Ella is from Banda Aceh and lives in Enschede in the Netherlands now, and her voice appeared to be the perfect match for this song. Read the rest of this entry »
Today, 2 years after the legendary Indonesian musician Chrisye passed away, I would like to look back on his life and career by writing about 2 wonderful products, the Chrisye Masterpiece Trilogy and the book Chrisye, sebuah memoar musikal. I would also like to point you to the song Telah pergi sahabat tercinta, a cover that I published exactly one year ago in memory of Chrisye.
On the 14th of march I gave a live performance on the Borneo Identity Event in Enschede. This was my first live concert in the Netherlands with Indonesian songs. The audience consisted for a large part of Indonesians. Two friendly gentlemen from the Indonesian Embassy had come all the way from Den Haag to Enschede to enjoy the shows and performances, and to express their support for this cultural event. I played four songs, which were clearly recognized by the inspiring audience. I have posted a number of photos and two videos of the concert. It was a very pleasant afternoon for me, it felt like being in Indonesia. I would like to thank the PPI Enschede for inviting me. The University Magazine UT Nieuws has published an article about me (in English) Read the rest of this entry »
On saturday 14th of march I will give a live performance at the Borneo Identity Event. This event is organized by the Indonesian Student Association PPI in Enschede, to promote Borneo (Kalimantan) island for its rich cultural diversity. You can find more information about the program on the website of the Borneo Identity Event. The event is open to anybody, and admittance is free. Hope to see you there.
Semua Tentang Kita is on the Taman Langit album, recorded by Peter Pan in 2003. I bought this album in Indonesia 2 years ago. On my recording I play 2 guitar tracks on my Fender Stratocaster and 2 string tracks on my Roland synthesizer. Read the rest of this entry »
In Jakarta I was invited to visit the concert of Peter Pan on 19th of october in Ancol, Jakarta. And not just visit……. I could go backstage, and there would be an opportunity to meet up with the musicians. So I went there early evening, accompanied by Sandy from Delta FM radio. Upon arrival it was immediately clear that this was a large event: a huge open area, spotlights, camera’s, the crowd slowly moving in while the band was still doing soundcheck. The entire show would be broadcasted live on RCTI tv. Read the rest of this entry »
Cintamu (Your love) is the first Indonesian song that I composed myself. In the video I sing together with Lucie. I wrote this song early last year, when we were sitting in our garden under the cherry blossom tree, enjoying the first warm and nice days of spring. A clear blue sky, a little breeze, a blackbird singing, my smiling girlfriend nearby 
….. Lots of inspiration, a perfect moment to write this song.
or another special occasion. You can find the lyric and the English translation below.
