After Rhoma Irama, the crowned King of Dangdut, it is now time to make way for Sodiq, Indonesia’s King of Dangdut Koplo.The dangdut singer from Pandaan, Pasuruan, East Java, whose real name is Sodiq Rifa’i, is the founder of dangdut orchestra Monata. He is dubbed the King of Dangdut Koplo because he succeeded in popularzing a number of dangdut koplo singers to the wider community. The status of a dangdut songstress is not legit yet until she did a duet with Sodiq Monata. 

Sodiq started off his career as a rhythm guitarist for Monata, an orkes Melayu group. During his early days as a musician Sodiq only received 20,000 rupiah in wages. But now he can earn up to 50 million rupiah or 250 million rupiah when performing with Monata. 

Most of the Eastern Java musicians who are now famous for performing dangdut koplo started their career with Sodiq Monata, including Via Vallen and Nella Kharisma among others. Sodiq’s hardwork is inseparable with his struggle to popularize the unique songs of Eastern Java’s dangdut koplo. When performing with Monata, the orkes Melayu group’s repertoire usually consists of songs from Banyuwangi. Sodiq admitted that he is now grateful to see more and more songs from Banyuwangi and Jawa Timur are being performed and listened to by dangdut fans in Indonesia. (Red.)