JAKARTA - The news of sorrow enveloped the Indonesian music industry after one of the founders and vocalist of Element, Lucky Widja, died on Sunday, January 25.
Lucky's departure left a deep sadness for his colleagues who had built a music career together more than 27 years ago.
Even though the spirit is gone, the remaining Element personnel are committed to continuing to maintain the spirit and legacy that has been laid down by the deceased, especially in keeping the band relevant in the digital era.
Element guitarist Adhitya Pratama revealed that Lucky was not just a musical partner, but a visionary who managed to save the Element business wheel since the band decided to move independently in 2014.
At a time when the music industry is transforming into a digital direction, Lucky is one of the brains behind the management system that keeps Element's assets and finances in good order.
"Lucky is someone who is very neat. Maybe if there was no Lucky, the Element business wheel could not survive until today. He and Arya created a management system so that it was neat digitally, financially neat, and assets were maintained," said Adhitya to the media after the funeral procession at the Jeruk Purut TPU, South Jakarta, Monday, January 26.
"What he does is poured out for togetherness, not just for himself," continued the guitarist.
Furthermore, Adhitya told how Lucky continued to fight in the midst of his declining health over the past two years. Lucky is known to have a disease that requires him to undergo intensive medical treatment, including blood transfusions.
But for Element, the stage is the best medicine for the vocalist. This is what makes them choose to keep Lucky's condition a secret in order to maintain the deceased's mental and professional condition in front of fans.
"One of the reasons he can survive these last two years is because he is happy. Performing makes him happy. We as friends in his circle try to make the outside keep seeing everything is fine. We take care of his psyche so that his immunity is maintained," added Aditya.
Lucky's departure comes at a time when Element is preparing a new album. Since September last year, the band has released three new singles as openers.
Arya, who is also the guitarist for Element, remembers Lucky as a figure who refused Element to be just a nostalgic band. Lucky is the most vocal person in encouraging his colleagues to continue to produce new works to remain dynamic in the midst of changes in the Indonesian music industry.
"Lucky is the type of person who always has dreams and the spirit to make them come true. He is always reminding us to keep going and fighting. He said, 'If you want to exist, you have to keep releasing something new, you have to be sensitive to changes in the industry'. It is this spirit that has kept Element alive until today," said Arya.
Now, with the departure of Lucky Widja, Element promises to complete the new album project as a form of the last tribute to his best friend.
"Insya Allah, we will always take care of the spirit. This actually makes us who are left now more responsible for taking care of the good heritage that many people can enjoy," concluded Adhitya.
The English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and French versions are automatically generated by the AI. So there may still be inaccuracies in translating, please always see Indonesian as our main language. (system supported by DigitalSiber.id)
