Fariz Rustam Munaf, better known as Fariz RM (born Jakarta, 5 January 1959) is an Indonesia

Indonesia

Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...

n musician and audio-visual artist. Beginning his career in 1977, he has released 19 solo albums and three with other artists. He is best known for his songs "Barcelona" and "Sakura" (Cherry Blossom). Three of his solo songs were listed in Rolling Stone Indonesia 2009 list "The 150 Best Indonesian Songs of All Time", with another of his compositions also listed.

Biography

Fariz Rustam Munaf was born on 5 January 1959 in Jakarta

Jakarta

Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre...

 to a father was from Ujung Pandang. His mother, Anna Reijnenberg, was a piano teacher of Dutch-Betawi descent. He began studying music at age five, beginning with classical

Classical music

Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...

 piano and later studying the blues

Blues

Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...

.

In 1977, Fariz joined a the Prambors FM

Prambors FM

Prambors FM is a commercial radio network based in Jakarta, Indonesia. Launched on March 18, 1971 in Jakarta, the purpose of station was to play pop music with targeted is teenagers. In 1970s-1990s, Prambors was one of the teenagers icon in Jakarta.-History:...

 Song Writing Contest for adolescents, finishing in the top ten. That same year, he played the drums on the album Badai Pasti Berlalu

Badai Pasti Berlalu (album)

Badai Pasti Berlalu was remade in 1999 by Chrisye, with the songs rearranged by Erwin Gutawa. It cost 800 million Rupiah to produce and promote, which it made within three months....

; it was during this time that Chrisye

Chrisye

Chrismansyah Rahadi , better known by his stage name Chrisye , was an Indonesian progressive-pop singer and song writer of mixed Chinese-Indonesian descent. He was born in Jakarta on 16 September 1949, and died there on 30 March 2007 following a long battle with lung cancer. He recorded 21 solo...

 gave him the nickname Fariz RM, which Fariz continued to use as a stage name because "Chrisye thought it sounded nice."

In 1979, Fariz released his first album Selangkah ke Seberang. The following year, Fariz released Sakura – Japanese word for Cherry blossom, which made him famous. During the 1980s, Fariz was a "poster boy" often featured in magazines for teenagers.

In 2001 Fariz was among prominent individuals summoned by the Jakarta Police and questioned for their alleged links to Aceh Referendum Information Center (SIRA) and questioned in relation to the bombing of an Acehnese

Acehnese people

The Acehnese are a people in Aceh, Indonesia. Their homeland is located in the northern-most tip of the island of Sumatra and had a history of political struggle against the Dutch...

 dormitory in Setiabudi in May of that year. Based on documments seized, Police suspected that he had aided the perpetrators based on a letter he had sent to Tengku Abdullah Syafiie, leader of the Free Aceh Movement

Free Aceh Movement

The Free Aceh Movement , also known as the Aceh Sumatra National Liberation Front , was a separatist group seeking independence for the Aceh region of Sumatra from Indonesia. GAM fought against Indonesian government forces in the Aceh Insurgency from 1976 to 2005, costing over 15,000 lives...

, expressing sympathy and support for the group's separatist cause. After Fariz was released, he mentioned that he had received a large amount of support from reporters. Fariz also expressed concern for Acehnese refugees, to whom he was prepared to donate some proceeds of record sales.

Fariz was arrested for marijuana possession in 2007; he was sentenced to eight-months in prison and rehab

Drug rehabilitation

Drug rehabilitation is a term for the processes of medical or psychotherapeutic treatment, for dependency on psychoactive substances such as alcohol, prescription drugs, and so-called street drugs such as cocaine, heroin or amphetamines...

.

In 2009, Fariz wrote and published Living in Harmony, a book on his life and influences, with Budianto Shambazy and Salomo Simanungkalit as editors. It outlined 60 events in his life and how they influenced him.

During his career, Fariz has been a member of numerous bands, including WOW, Jakarta Rhythm Section, Symphony, Transs, Rollies, and Giant Steps. His influences include The Beatles

The Beatles

The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...

, Pink Floyd

Pink Floyd

Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...

, The Police

The Police

The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For the vast majority of their history, the band consisted of Sting , Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland...

, Marvin Gaye

Marvin Gaye

Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range....

, and Claude Debussy

Claude Debussy

Claude-Achille Debussy was a French composer. Along with Maurice Ravel, he was one of the most prominent figures working within the field of impressionist music, though he himself intensely disliked the term when applied to his compositions...

. The Jakarta Post

The Jakarta Post

The Jakarta Post is a daily English language newspaper in Indonesia. The paper is owned by PT Bina Media Tenggara, and the head office is in the nation's capital, Jakarta....

considers his music "... a spectrum of styles and sounds not immediately apparent, except to discriminating ears..."

Personal life

Fariz is married to Oneng. Together they have three children. He enjoys reading and has stated that he prefers small concerts, feeling "ashamed" when one of his concerts caused road congestion.

Awards

In 2009, Rolling Stone Indonesia listed 3 of Fariz's solo songs as the best Indonesian songs of all time, with "Sakura" placing 9th, "Barcelona" 23rd, and "Selangkah ke Seberang" 121st. Another of Fariz's compositions, "Hasrat dan Cinta" (Desire and Love), covered by Andi Meriem Matalatta, placed 103rd. and "Interlokal" which Fariz played with his band Symphony in 94th.

Solo albums

• 1979 – Selangkah ke Seberang (A Step Across)
• 1980 – Sakura (Cherry Blossom)
• 1981 – Panggung Perak (The Silver Stage)
• 1982 – Peristiwa 77–81 (The 77–81 Incident)
• 1983 – Fariz & Mustaka
• 1984 – Peristiwa 81–84 (The 81–84 Incident)
• 1985 – Musik Rasta (Rasta Music)
• 1987 – Do Not Erase
• 1988 – Living In Western World
• 1989 – Fariz Hitz
• 1989 – Fashionova
• 1990 – Cover Ten
• 1992 – Balada (Ballad)
• 1993 – Romantic
• 1996 – Dongeng Negeri Cinta (Fable from the Land of Love)
• 1997 – Super Medley
• 1998 – Kronologi (Chronology)
• 2001 – Dua Dekade (Two Decades)
• 2002 – Mix!
• 2006 – Curse on Cozmic Avenue

Duet albums

• 1991 – Gala Premiere (w/ Jacob Kembar)
• 1992 – Asean Skies (w/ Janet Arnaiz)
• 1993 – Tabu (w/ Renny Djajoesman; Taboo)