Didi Kempot wrote some 700 songs, mainly in his native Javanese language.
18 Facts About Didi Kempot
2.
Apart from Indonesia, Didi was popular in Suriname and the Netherlands, both of which have significant Javanese diaspora population.
3.
Didi Kempot's father, Ranto Edi Gudel, was a comedian and singer-songwriter who often performed at the traditional ketoprak tobong theatrical stage.
4.
Didi Kempot then returned to his hometown to start busking.
5.
Didi Kempot started working as a street busker in his hometown between 1984 and 1986 before moving to Jakarta.
6.
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.
7.
Didi Kempot recounted that often the tape only got so far as the security desk.
8.
Some labels Didi Kempot applied for were MSC Plus and Musica Studios.
9.
Didi Kempot was then assisted by Pompi Suradimansyah, a member of the band No Koes, in arranging music.
10.
Didi Kempot was offered to make a music video to be aired on TVRI, the only nationwide television channel at that time.
11.
When he arrived in the Netherlands, Didi Kempot was surprised that many memorized "Cidro".
12.
Didi Kempot returned to the Netherlands in 1996 and toured Suriname.
13.
In total Didi Kempot performed in Netherlands twice and in Suriname 11 times, the latest being the Layang Kangen Tour in 2018 when he received an award from President Desi Bouterse.
14.
Didi Kempot paced to various television stations for album promos.
15.
Didi Kempot released a song entitled "Ojo Mudik", pleading his fans not to go back home during the Eid al-Fitr holiday season to prevent further spread of the coronavirus.
16.
Didi Kempot worked in a campursari style, producing ballads with influences of pop music and the local styles kroncong and dangdut.
17.
Didi Kempot died of complications from cardiac arrest on 5 May 2020 in Surakarta.
18.
Didi Kempot is survived by his wife Yan Vellia and two children.