Dangdut is a vibrant and popular genre of Indonesian music distinguished by a rhythmic blend of Indian, Arabic, Western, Malay, Sundanese, and Javanese influences within Indonesian Music. Dangdut, which is rooted in working-class culture, is distinguished by an upbeat atmosphere, distinct rhythmic patterns from a modified version of tabla called kendang, bamboo flute (suling) melodies, and heartfelt or melodramatic lyrics about everyday life and love, delivered in a melismatic vocal technique known as cengkok. Dangdut originated in the 1950s, when orkes melayu bands began incorporating musical elements from Indian music, specifically Filmi, inspired by the Bollywood film boom of the time. Ellya Khadam's 1956 hit, "Boneka dari India", is considered one of the earliest dangdut songs, even before the term was coined. The late 1960s to early 1970s marked a crucial period when Rhoma Irama, the dangdut 'king', crystallized the form by merging dangdut with Western Pop Rock styles and coined the term 'dangdut', an onomatopoeia to the kendang sound, initially used by upper-class people as an insulting term toward the working-class music. He also experimented by inserting Islamic and moral messages in his songs, giving rise to the term dangdut rohani. Along with Elvy Sukaesih, the dangdut 'queen', and several other influential artists, he brought dangdut to the mainstream in the 1970s, reaching its peak in the 1990s when dangdut successfully reached the middle-upper class via commercial TVs, even being celebrated as national music by military and government officials. Dangdut has evolved into a cultural phenomenon that reflects Indonesia's social dynamics while also providing a rhythmic pulse to the country's modern music scene. In the early 2000s, dangdut experienced another transformative moment with the emergence of Dangdut koplo, a regional style from East Java. This variant emerged as a response to growing disinterest in 'classic' dangdut. Dangdut koplo incorporated diverse foreign influences such as Reggae, Western Pop, Hip Hop, and Electronic elements, ensuring its continued popularity among younger audiences and its position as one of the most popular genres in Indonesia to this day.
