Sari Simorangkir

Sari Simorangkir
Birth name Basari Frida Mardani Simorangkir
Born (1975-03-31) March 31, 1975
Semarang, Indonesia
Genres Contemporary Christian, contemporary worship
Occupation(s) Singer-songwriter
Instruments Vocals
Years active 1990–present
Associated acts True Worshippers, Voice of Generation, JPCC
Website sarisimorangkir.com

Basari Frida Mardani Simorangkir (born March 31, 1975) is an Indonesian contemporary Christian music singer and songwriter. She is commonly called "Sari". She is best known as one of the True Worshippers vocalists. Gifted with enormous singing talent, Sari has released many solo albums and many other records with various different artists. Her songs have become anthems of worship in churches nationwide.

Sari has been influenced by Michael W. Smith, Crystal Lewis, Yolanda Adams, and secular singers such as Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Lydia Imaniar, and Sting. Even though she loves R&B, soul, and blues, Sari realizes that pop suits her best.[1]

Biography

Early life

Sari Simorangkir was born in Semarang to Bataknese parents D.N. Simorangkir and Tiur Ida Simanjuntak. As her father worked at Pertamina, Sari was raised in five different cities in Indonesia, including Semarang, Makassar, and finally Jakarta, where she finished her high school education.[2] She has two siblings Fredrick and Sammy.[3]

She began to sing in 1990 when she was in senior high school. She was encouraged by her parents to take part in singing contests such as Cipta Pesona Bintang and Asia Bagus. Though she did not win, she became very motivated to sing.

Voice of Generation

About two years later Sari and her colleagues created a music band named Ezra. In 1992 the name was changed to VOG, Voice of Galilea, before it changed again to Voice of Generation when they made their second album, Tutur kata. She was one of the band's vocalists, along with Viona Paays, Franky Sihombing (who also played bass guitar), and later Sydney Mohede, when he joined the group on the second album.

In the late 1980s, when the world Christian spiritual music had not evolved to the point it is today, VOG wanted to make more contemporary alternative music for the younger generation of Christians. They made songs that contained positive messages and were universal, and so were liked by all circles. Their first two albums were Kusadari and Tutur Kata. Their songs appeared on "The Song Chart" of the radio stations in Jakarta.[4]

The VOG formation of the first album, Kusadari, was:

The VOG formation of the second album, Tutur Kata]], was:

Their second album was the last album before they disbanded. In October 2009, VOG held a reunion concert.

True Worshippers

In her community named JPCC (Jakarta Praise Community Church) (kind of God's servant community), Sari met acquaintances who would later be part of True Worshippers, such as Sydney Mohede, Ucok Radjaguguk, and Daniel Sigarlaki. She learned many things about singing and song writing from this community. In 1996, they officially established True Worshippers with Mohede (her partner in VOG) as the founder. Sari made a major contribution as lead vocalist, along with Ruth Sahanaya and Mohede, to this group.[5]

Solo projects

Sari also has solo projects. The first and second albums weren't so successful due to their genre, R&B. Churches considered that R&B music was not suitable to be used as worship anthems in Indonesia. Sari decided to make the third album be more in the pop style. The third and fourth albums successfully sold about 30.000 copies. Sari later knew that pop songs are the easiest to be sung by churches in Indonesia. She also knew that lyrics about human relationships are not considered as anthems of worship in churches. Later, she tended to make songs about the relationship of God and people as His]servants.

As of 2013, she has produced 12 albums.

The title of her fifth album, 31:31, was inspired by her birthday (31 March), her age when she completed this album, and the completion date of this album production (31 March).

Her eighth album, Sari 8, was named in accordance with the order of the album.

Albums

Notable songs include "Yang Terbaik", "Kaulah Segalanya", "Bagi Tuhan Tak Ada Yang Mustahil", "Karya Terbesar", "Dengan SayapMu", "Hati Hamba", "Hanya Kau Tuhan", "Aku Percaya", "Tidak Dengan Tangan Hampa" (medley Persembahanku), "Yesusku Dahsyat", and "Dengan Sayap-Mu".

Awards and nominations

In 2005, Sari received three awards from Indonesian Gospel Music Award of Excellence 2005 for her works:

Point of view, vision and mission

Sari thinks that worship is a lifestyle. It is our relationship with God, and not just the outside, but also the matter of the inside. "It sounds cliché, but it is true. Worship is not just about the singing. It is our everyday life that glorifies God". Gospel, to her, is something that could bring changes to people's lives. It is an answer to our need. It is a good news that everyone needs to know.[6]

Her vision and mission is to touch as many lives as possible through her music and her life. That is why she takes singing seriously. It is not just a career, it is a way to express herself and bless people. According to Sari, her biggest challenge is how to make a pop Christian music that does not sound "cheap". Since she is getting older, she also has to maintain her voice and her physical fitness.[7]

Personal life

In 1997, Sari and Handy Iskandar were married. They have two children named Sandy and Sharon.[8]

Now Sari is busy with her ministry and taking care of her family. She looks forward to releasing more albums with her own style of music, bringing more flavors to Indonesian Christian music. She hopes to have a solo concert. "I hope to see myself in the next five years as a more mature and stronger person, continuing what I've been doing to bless people."[9]

References

  1. ↑ "Sari Simorangkir".
  2. ↑ "Sari Simorangkir".
  3. ↑ "Biografi singkat Sammy Simorangkir".
  4. ↑ "Voice of Generation fanspage".
  5. ↑ "Bakal Merana Bila Tak Nyanyi Lagu Rohani".
  6. ↑ "Sari Simorangkir".
  7. ↑ "Sari Simorangkir".
  8. ↑ "Bakal Merana Bila Tak Nyanyi Lagu Rohani".
  9. ↑ "Sari Simorangkir".
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