Dedicated To Thursday Action, Donny Verdian Released The Lion King

Donny Verdian (Photo: Antara)

JAKARTA - Donny Verdian released his second single, entitled Raja Singa. This song is inspired by the struggle of the Kamisan Action which demands the resolution of cases of human rights violations.

In early June, Donny released the song Suluh, but it turned out that Raja Singa was made earlier by him with Indonesian musicians living in Sydney, one of which was Sawung Jabo. They also exchanged material including the song Raja Singa.

When composing the song, Donny admitted that he was touched by the story of Maria Catarina Sumarsih, the recipient of the 2004 Yap Thiam Hien Award who never tired of seeking justice for her son Benardinus Realino Norma Irawan, a student at the Atma Jaya University Jakarta who died during the Semanggi 1 tragedy.

"When I was exploring the material of this song, I imagined that Mrs. Sumarsih was so persistent on the front lines in the Kamisan Action," Donny said through an official statement quoted from Antara, Wednesday, August 12.

In the process of cultivating, Donny is not alone. He is assisted by Alvon Ditya Arudiskara, a musician from Yogyakarta who is also the founder of the Yogyakarta Notoyudan Art Studio and also Ignasius Bowo Sarjito.

"At first, I actually contacted Bowo because he often makes music. When the music and vocals were finished, the idea emerged to invite Alvon because this song genre is folk-ballad, it suits his violin friction," said Donny.

From the raw data, Bowo then arranged songs assisted by Yohanes Fajar DK (bass) and Rohmo Pinayungan (drums), while he himself filled the guitar parts and backing vocals.

The Lion King can now be enjoyed through digital music channels. All of the income from this song will be donated for the survival of the Notoyudan Art Studio which is managed by Alvon and his friends.