Titi Rajo Bintang

Titi was born on 10 February 1981.[1] She is fond of sports and never wears skirts.[2] In high school, she supposed to study economics but she switched to drums because she wanted to do something "different".[2] She furthered her drum studies at Farabi Music School and Daya Music Institute.[2] After graduation, she performed at the Java Jazz Festival; she also performed with artists such as Ruth Sahanaya.[2]

Titi made her feature film debut in Djenar Maesa Ayu's 2007 film Mereka Bilang, Saya Monyet! (They Say I'm a Monkey!).[2] She was initially contracted to provide a soundtrack for the film with her husband, Sri Aksan Sjuman (also known as Wong Aksan), Maesa's brother.[2] However, Maesa later asked her to take the lead role; after being cajoled by her husband and sister-in-law, Titi accepted.[2] Aksan told her "in a kissing scene, when [she] kiss[es] a man, [her] body should not reject it".[2]

In 2010, Titi starred in Minggu Pagi di Victoria Park (Sunday Morning in Victoria Park), a film about immigrant workers in Hong Kong.[3][2] For her role, she met with immigrant laborers in Indonesia and Hong Kong to "get a deeper understanding" of the role.[2] That same year, she and her husband provided the soundtrack to Tanah Air Beta (My Homeland).[2] Although there were some scheduling conflicts, she was able to complete both.[2]

In February 2011, Titi took her first role as an antagonist, appearing in Rindu Purnama (Longing for the Full Moon).[4] She disliked the role as she disapproved of her character's actions.[5] Later that year, she and her husband composed the score to Sang Penari (The Dancer), a film based on the Ronggeng Dukuh Paruk trilogy by Ahmad Tohari, over a period of a month and a half.[6]

Titi enjoys the work of American composer John Williams, citing his works on Star Wars, Memoirs of a Geisha, and Home Alone as some of her favourites.[2]

Titi has won the first annual Extra Joss Awards in November 2000. Eight years later, she won two Indonesian Movie Awards for Best Actress: Her first was Best Newcomer for Mereka Bilang, Saya Monyet, while the second was for her role in Minggu Pagi di Victoria Park.[3][5] Her role in Mereka Bilang, Saya Monyet! garnered her a Citra Award at the Indonesian Film Festival for Best Actress, while Titi and her husband won a Citra Award for Best Soundtrack for the 2009 film King.[2] She has said that receiving awards is a bonus which drives her to work harder.[3]

Titi was married to fellow musician Sri Aksan Sjuman (formerly of Dewa 19), who was one of her instructors at Farabi.[2] They often collaborate on writing film scores.[2] The couple have a daughter.[2] Titi is sister-in-law to writer-cum-director Djenar Maesa Ayu.[2] She filed for divorce from Aksan on 14 February 2013.[7] They were divorced by March 2013.[8]

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