Celebrating Didi Kempot

Today’s Doodle celebrates Didik Prasetyo (famously known as Didi Kempot), a beloved Indonesian singer and songwriter known as the “Godfather of Broken Hearts.” A master of Javanese campursari music, Kempot wrote over 700 songs throughout his prolific career. On this day in 2020, he received a Billboard Indonesia Lifetime Achievement Award. 

Kempot was born into a family of entertainers in Surakarta, Indonesia in December 1966. His father and brother were both comedians and his mother was a traditional Javanese singer.

At 18, Kempot and his friends formed a street band called Kelompok Pengamen Trotoar (The Sidewalk Buskers' Group) — and began busking for a living. For more than two decades, this world-class singer performed undiscovered in the streets of Surakarta and Jakarta. Not only that, “Kelompok Pengamen Trotoar” later became where he got his infamous last name “Kempot”. 

Although he was penniless, he wrote and performed some of his most famous songs — including "We Cen Yu", "Cidro" (Broken), "Moblong-Moblong" (Perforated), and "Podo Pintere" (Equally Smart) — during this time. After a long day of busking, Didi often stayed up to record his songs on blank tapes. Although most of the tapes he sent to recording studios never made Startit past the security desk, Kempot never gave up on his dreams. 

Kempot finally got his big break in 1989 and signed with a music label. His first hit single Cidro became wildly popular in the Netherlands and Suriname — two countries with a large Javanese diaspora. It also paved the way for campursari music to break through the mainstream market. 

When Kempot traveled to the Netherlands to perform in 1993, he was moved to see fans had memorized the lyrics to his song. He went on to release ten more albums in the Netherlands and Suriname.  

In recent years, Kempot’s campursari music has experienced a resurgence in popularity among the younger generation. His songs continue to strike a chord with hopeless romantics around the world.