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Music, family, politics: Indonesian singer Kris Dayanti juggles them all

A lot has happened to Indonesian singer-actress Kris Dayanti since she last staged a concert in Singapore 14 years ago.

She remarried, gave birth to two more children, became a grandmother and entered politics.

The performer, who will be back here to stage a show at The Star Theatre on May 24, takes all her various roles seriously.

“Whatever I do, I do it with all my heart. I don’t do things in half-measures,” the 48-year-old tells The Straits Times in a mixture of English and Bahasa Indonesia in an interview at Hilton Singapore Orchard. She was in town to promote her upcoming concert.

“I like the challenge of taking on new responsibilities. It keeps my brain active.”

The show, which features renowned Indonesian composer Erwin Gutawa as music director, will be a family affair.

Two of her four children from different marriages – daughters Amora, 11, and Aurel, 24 – will perform at her concert. So will Aurel’s husband, popular YouTuber Atta Halilintar.

Kris was married to Indonesian composer-producer-singer Anang Hermansyah from 1996 to 2009, and they have two children, Aurel and Azriel, 22. Aurel gave birth to a daughter in early 2022.

In 2011, Kris married Timor Leste businessman Raul Lemos and the couple have two children – Amora and Kellen, 10.

“I really wanted to have more children, and my prayers were answered,” says Kris, who started singing as a child and had her first recording experience at the age of nine.

In 2019, she was elected into Parliament as a member of the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), representing her home town of Malang Raya in East Java.

She also recently represented Indonesia on the world stage at the 146th IPU (Inter-Parliamentary Union) Assembly in Bahrain, a gathering for the international organisation of national parliaments.

“In the three decades that I spent in the entertainment world, I learnt how to connect with people and engage with them,” Kris says of how her experience as a singer and actress primed her for a career in politics.

Singapore played a pivotal role in her singing career.

In 1992, she was crowned the first grand champion for Asia-wide singing competition Asia Bagus, which was held here and in Japan.

She has won multiple prizes at Anugerah Planet Muzik (APM), the annual Malay music awards organised by Singapore Malay radio stations Ria 897 and Warna 942, including a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007.

Her last major solo concert here was at the Esplanade Concert Hall in 2009.

The upcoming Singapore concert is named after one of her signature songs, Mencintaimu (Loving You), first released in 2000. She recently re-recorded it – a collaboration with Erwin that features new orchestral arrangements.

She adds that she has also recorded new songs for an EP that is scheduled to be released in June.

She also reveals that, besides singing, she might do a wushu demonstration at the Singapore concert.

“I love to learn new things, and I’ve been taking private wushu lessons for about a year now. I want to stay physically and mentally active for as long as I can.”

Book it/Kris Dayanti Mencintaimu Featuring Erwin Gutawa And Band

Where: The Star Theatre, 04-01 The Star Performing Arts Centre, 1 Vista Exchange Green
When: May 24, 8pm
Admission: $118 to $288 from Sistic (go to www.sistic.com.sg or call 6348-5555)

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