Nike Ardilla

Raden Nike Ratnadilla (27 December 1975 –19 March 1995), also known as Nike Ardilla, was an Indonesian rock singer and a successful movie star and model. She originated from Bandung in the West Java province of Indonesia. Ardilla died in a car accident in Bandung at the age of 19 at the zenith of her musical career.^[1] She has sold 30 million album to date, and her album became best selling album all of time in Indonesia. Her latest album Sandiwara Cinta sold 5 million copies and her sophomore album Bintang Kehidupan sold 4 million copies.^[2]

Early life

Ardilla was born Raden Rara Nike Ratnadilla on 27 December 1975 in Bandung to parents of Ciamis and Bandung descent. Her father worked for the Indonesian railway operator PT Kereta Api, and the family had to move periodically throughout her childhood. They eventually settled in Bandung, West Java, where Ardilla began performing in talent shows at the age of 5, winning a local singing competition in 1980. In 1986 she joined the cast of the film Kasmaran, starring Ida Iasha and Slamet Rahardjo. Ardilla played Ida Iasha's daughter.

In 1987 Ardilla contributed to a compilation album titled Bandung Rock Power, which featured Nicky Astria, Mel Shandy, and other well-known artists. In 1988 she recorded a single on the soundtrack of the film Kabayan Saba Kota and made a cameo appearance in it. In the same year, she won Best Model Catwalk in the "LA Model Contest" in Bandung.

Music career

Ardilla was influential in the return of teen pop rock in the late 1980s. Deny Sabry helped her to sign a record deal with Arista Records. Her debut album, Seberkas Sinar, was released in the summer of 1989, reaching number one on the charts and selling over 500,000 copies in Indonesia. Its lead single "Seberkas Sinar" stayed at the top of the charts for 10 weeks, and it had further hits with the top-10 ballad "Cinta Pertama", and the top-5 "Tembang Asmara".

She released her next album, Bintang Kehidupan, in the spring of 1990, and its title track quickly rose to number one in the charts. The album itself also topped the charts on its debut, selling over 500,000 copies in its first week and setting a new record for single-week sales by a female artist. Follow-up singles included "Salut" and the gold-certified "Putih". A year after its release, Bintang Kehidupan had sold over two million copies and won a BASF Award for Best New Artist and Best Selling Album in 1990.

Ardilla received Awards Gadis Sampul in 1990, confirming her success not only as a singer and actress but also as a model. Her next album, Nyalakan Api (1991) won the BASF Award for Best Selling Album in 1991. Her fourth, Matahariku (1992), was followed in the autumn of 1993 by Biarlah Aku Mengalah, which appeared in October on Music Plus.

After winning the award for Best Selling Album at the 1993 BASF Awards, Ardilla released her next album, Nike Best of The Best, with the hit single "Tinggal lah aku Sendiri". She moved from Billboard Records, (now EMI), to Musica Studios for Biarkan Cintamu Berlalu (1994), which debuted at number one and earned her the 1994 HDX Best Selling Album award. Her last album, Sandiwara Cinta, was released on 1 March 1995. The single first began airing on the radio in late February. The first version of the Sandiwara Cinta video began airing on TV in late February 1995. She started making a second version of this video, directed by Rizal Mantovany, but died two days before the scheduled completion of shooting. It was released 40 days after her death and became a huge success, featuring her in the style of Marilyn Monroe, her idol. This album won an HDX award for Best Selling Album of the year, best single ("Deru Debu"), and Best Video Klip MTV Indonesia.

Death

Ardilla died in a car accident in Bandung at approximately 05:30 on 19 March 1995. The night before the accident, she met with some friends from Aneka-Yess!, a popular teenage magazine, at Jayakarta Hotel Bandung to discuss the agenda for the election of its cover girl and cover boy. The election was to be held on the next day, and she was to be the guest star at the event. After the meeting, she and her manager, Sofiatun, went to a night club called Pollo Club in Jl. Asia Africa at 00:30 to meet other friends. At 03:30, they left Pollo Club and went to Kintamani restaurant. At 04:30 she left the restaurant and accompanied her friend to a hotel. She and Sofiatun left the hotel at 05:15 to go home. She was driving her car, a Honda Genio D 27 K, which sometimes seemed unstable. After overtaking a red car, Ardilla lost control and hit the fence of the wall in Jl. R. E. Martadinata, Bandung. She died instantly from serious trauma to the head.

Thousands of fans, friends, and family came to her funeral in Bandung. She was buried in Ciamis, West Java, on the same day, in the presence of family, friends, fans and reporters. It was reported that fans were still coming to her house a month after her death.

Legacy

Ardilla is still famous in Indonesia, where her popularity continued to rise even after her death. Every year, millions^[3] of her fans commemorate her death by visiting her grave and the Nike Ardilla Museum. The Indonesian media called her "The Legendary Rockqueen", or the legend of slow rock music. Fan clubs dedicated to her still exist. Two Russian states, Abkhazia and Tuva, issued a Nike Ardilla stamp in 1996 (among stamps of Michael Jackson, Madonna, Marilyn Monroe, and Elvis Presley). PT Pos Indonesia published a postcard and commemorative envelope in the exhibition of the world of youth philately in 1996. Her album "Mama Aku Ingin Pulang" was released in 1995, two months after her death, and was a huge success, although it contained only one new single, a song she recorded in 1993 that never appeared in her previous albums. The album Suara Hatiku, originally intended for release in 1994, was released in 1996. She released two albums, Biarkan Cintamu Berlalu and Duri Terlindung (for the Malaysian market only) in 1994, and "Suara Hatiku" went multiplatinum. More of her singles were released after her death, such as "Cinta Diantara Kita" (1996), a remake of her previous song "Selamat Jalan Duka". In 2009, Musicas Studios released a Nike Ardilla ringtone album.

Discography

Studio albums

• 1989 – Seberkas Sinar
• 1990 – Bintang Kehidupan
• 1991 – Nyalakan Api
• 1992 – Matahariku
• 1993 – Biarlah Aku Mengalah
• 1994 – Biarkan Cintamu Berlalu
• 1994 – Duri Terlindung (for the Malaysian market only)
• 1995 – Sandiwara Cinta
• 1995 – Mama Aku Ingin Pulang
• 1996 – Suara Hatiku

Greatest hits albums

• Golden Hits Nike Ardilla 1991
• 20 The Best of Nike Ardilla 1992
• 20 Mega Hit Nike Ardilla 1995
• Best Slow Nike Ardilla Vol. 1 1996
• Best Slow Nike Ardilla Vol. 2 1997
• Best of the Best Nike Ardilla Vol. 1 1998
• Best of the Best Nike Ardilla Vol. 2 1999
• BEST BEAT −2002
• KOLEKSI TERLENGKAP: NIKE ARDILLA - 2010

Singles soundtrack

• Ost Nuansa Gadis Suci 1992
• Ost Nakalnya Anak Muda 1992
• Ost Aksara Bisu 1992
• Ost Lupus 1992
• Ost Deru Debu 1994

Singles released

• Rona rona biru 1990
• Star Of Life 1991
• Tinggalah Kusendiri 1993
• Cinta Di Antara Kita 1996
• Panggung Sandiwara 1997
• Ingin kulupakan 1998
• Belenggu Cinta 2000

Awards

• International Awards

1. GOLD Prize Asian Song Festival 1991, shanghai china as best new comers
2. Best Indonesian Selling Album in Malaysia Anugerah Musik 1994, Duri Terlindung Album
3. 2nd Runner Up Best Performer – ABU Golden Kite World Song Festival Kuala Lumpur Malaysia 1994
4. Nike Ardilla Stamp had been released in Russia (Abkasia and Tauva Region), 1996.
5. Golden Prize Malaysia Music Awards for 10 Tahun Koleksi terunggul Album, 2005.

• National Music Awards

1. 1st Champion "Lagu Pilihanku", TVRI Jakarta, 1980.
2. 1st Champion Pop Singing HAPMI, 1985 Bandung.
3. 3rd winner "TERUNA Festival Indonesia", 1986.
4. 1st Champion " 3 Genre Singing Festival West Java", 1987.
5. Multi-platinum Awards for Seberkas Sinar Album, 1989.
6. Best Selling Album, BASF Awards 1990, For Bintang Kehidupan Album.
7. The Best Performer – Indonesian Popular Song Festival 1990.
8. Best Selling Album, BASF Awards 1991, For Nyalakan Api Album.
9. Multi-platinum Awards for Matahariku Album, 1992.
10. Best Selling Album, BASF Awards, for Biarlah Aku Mengalah Album, 1993.
11. Multi-platinum Awards for The Best Of (Tinggalah Aku Sendiri) Album, 1993.
12. Best Selling Album, HDX Awards, for Biarkan Cintamu Berlalu Album, 1994.
13. Best Selling Album, HDX Awards, for Sandiwara Cinta Album, 1995.
14. Biggest Omzet Album, HDX Awards, for Sandiwara Cinta Album, 1995.
15. Best Selling Album, HDX Awards, for Suara Hatiku Album, 1996.
16. Music Mingguan Awards ANTeve, Best Selling Album for Suara Hatiku Album, 1996.
17. Best Selling Album, HDX Awards, for The Best (Deru Debu) Album, 1996.
18. Triple Platinum Album, BASF Awards, for Mama Aku Ingin Pulang Album, 1996.
19. Multi-platinum Awards for The Best of Panggung Sandiwara Album, 1997.
20. Multi-platinum Awards for The Best of Cinta Diantara Kita Album, 1997.
21. Multi-platinum Awards for The Best of Ingin Ku Lupakan Album, 1998.
22. Multi-platinum Awards for The Best of Belenggu Cinta Album,1999.
23. Multi-Platinum Awards for The Best of Volume II Album, 2000.
24. Multi-Platinum Awards for The Best Beat Album, 2002.
25. Multi-platinum Awards for Best of The Best Album,2004.
26. Multi-platinum Awards for Golden Memories Album, 2005.
27. Multi-platinum Awards for 11 tahun Nike Ardilla Album, 2006.
28. Multi-platinum Awards for Lagu Pilihan Fans Album, 2007.
29. Multi-platinum Awards for The Best Of Tinggalah Ku Sendiri CDAlbum, 2008.
30. Multi-platinum Awards for Number One RBT Album, 2009.
31. Triple Platinum Awards for Koleksi Lenggkap Album, 2010. In 2 days album sold 500.000 copies.

• Video Music Awards

1. Video Musik Indonesia, Video Favorite of The Month Tinggalah aku Sendiri, 1993.
2. Video Musik Indonesia, Video Favorite of The Month Biarkan Cintamu Berlalu, 1994.
3. Video Musik Indonesia, Video Favorite of The Year, Director Ria Irawan, BIarkan Cintamu Berlalu, 1994.
4. Best Female Video, MTV Viewer Choice Indonesia, 1997.

• Television Awards

1. Dunia Bintang SCTV Awards 1995, Favorite Viewer Artis.
2. Dunia Bintang SCTV Awards 1995, Favorite Journalist Artis.
3. Silet Infotainment Highest 2nd Rating " Nike Ardilla Episode", 2003
4. SCTV Programme Eko Patrio Show, BEST Legend, Beat Titik Puspa and Benyamin S, Viewers Choice,2005

• Modeling/Magazine/Tabloid/Newspaper

1. Cover SAHABAT PENA Magazine, 1986.
2. 3rd Winner LA Clerk Model Contest, 1989.
3. GADIS SAMPUL Favorite, 1990.
4. Best Performer on TV – from Monitor Magazine 1990
5. Best actress, readers choice Tabloid Citra 30th TVRI Anniv.1992. (LTB)
6. Most Wanted Actress, readers choice Tabloid Nyata (Jawa Pos), 1993.
7. Most Popular Artis, Popular Magazine, 1994.
8. URTV Magazine favorite Cover, 1994.
9. Indonesian Most Dedicated and Creative Singer – 1994
10. Indonesian Best Female Singer – from CITRA Magazine 1995
11. Nike Ardilla Stamp and Post Card edition, Tribute, from PT.POS Indonesia,1996.
12. Best Selling Cover Tabloid Nova for Nike Ardilla Cover Headline, sold 850.000 eksemplar, 2007.

References

Further reading

• Quinn, G 2007, 'Nike Ardilla: Instant Pop Saint', RIMA: Review of Indonesian and Malaysian Affairs, vol. 41, no. 2, pp. 205–221.