Adelina Setiawan, From the First Note
Lying in a rigid, slightly bent position, Adelina Setiawan suddenly became physically animated on hearing the opening bar of "Ku Bisa Gila" (I Can Go Crazy), a song she had composed.
Her raw voice tried to follow in singing the lyrics to her composition, changing the ordinary tune into a special one. Adelina Setiawan has cerebral palsy, but has successfully launched a mini album, I (One).
"Ku Bisa Gila" is the first of five tracks on the album, which has been produced as a limited release CD. The mini album titled I (One) was launched on May 16, 2019 in Surabaya, East Java. "I [One] is my first album. So it’s easy," Adelina said regarding the title during the album’s launch. She spoke with a stutter, but was firm in her statement.
It was not easy for Adelina to finish the album. Many people doubted she could, including her family and even herself, because her condition limits her movement. Because of cerebral palsy, which means “brain paralysis”, Adelina can only move her hands and head. Her twin sister, parents and domestic helper assist her in her day-to-day activities.
Adelina also finds it difficult to use her hands fully in playing a musical instrument. She can only use the little finger on her left hand and three fingers on her right hand to play the guitar and the piano. However, her disability does not prevent her mind and heart from composing tunes, chords, arrangements and lyrics in a diverse range of music.
Her album I is the answer to these doubts and is a refreshing entry to Surabaya\'s music scene, which has not produced songwriters for quite some time. "Jiejie [elder sister] is blessed with an extraordinary talent in music and song," Adelia Setiawan, Adelina’s twin, said on the sidelines of the album’s launch.
Adelia could not hide her joy when her sister performed a duet on "Ku Bisa Gila" with Vajra Aoki, the vocalist of the Rasvan Aoki indie band), or with her classmate Anabelle Gisella Sanyatika Usfinit on "Musim yang Indah” (Beautiful Season). She smiled, clapped and used her mobile phone to take a video of the occasion.
Adelina (Lina) and Adelia (Lia) are the twin daughters of Agustinus Setiawan and Natalia Sebastian. The twins were born premature on Feb. 6, 1994 in Surabaya at seven months.
Adelina was normal at birth, but something happened while she was receiving neonatal treatment.
"My development was normal, but not Jiejie Lina. According to Papa and Mama, Jiejie Lina\'s body turned blue while she was being treated in an incubator, apparently because the flow of oxygen was interrupted. After she was examined, it was found that several parts of her brain were not developing normally, which caused Jiejie Lina to develop celebral palsy," said Adelia.
Agustinus and Natalia, who worked outside Java, decided that one of them should stay in Surabaya to take care of the twins, especially Adelina. "My wife is currently working in Flores," Agustinus said on the sidelines of the album’s launch.
Cerebral palsy, a disorder of movement, muscle tone or posture that results from injury or abnormal brain development, clearly limited the life Adelina leads. However, the girl was strong and passionate, and she never gave up, as she was blessed with a unique talent in language and music.
Adelina has aspired to be a composer since childhood. She can arrange tones and lyrics while imagining the right singer or person to perform the song. She grew more serious about music while she was at SMA 10 Surabaya senior high school. Almost a decade ago, while she was lying down, resting, the melody for “Ku Bisa Gila” came to her. As she composed the song, she imagined famous pop singer Mulan Jameela singing it in a sassy and seductive manner. "I imagined her [Mulan Jameela] singing ‘Ku Bisa Gila’," said Adelina.
As a special needs child, Adelina graduated high school in 2013 and then went to Sforzando Music Course Surabaya to pursue her love for music.
The music school provides developmental assistance for children with special needs. There, Adelina composed several pieces and also completed here earlier songs. Aside from music, Adelina has a passion for language. Along with her twin, Adelina taught herself how to speak Japanese.
Adelina has been studying French at the Institut Francais Indonesia (IFI) Surabaya since 2014. France is her dream country, and she especially wants to visit Lyon and Paris. Adelina fell in love the beautiful French language, which she studies diligently by reading many novels and books about the European country.
Sforzando music school head and teacher Fransiska Sri Setyowati was mesmerized on seeing Adelina’s talent. Setyowati was shocked to learn on receiving Adelina’s first composition that she had already composed several songs. "I read the lyrics with tears and tried to follow the tune. It was a difficult composition, even though Adelina had limited motor skills," she said.
The chords and melodies Adelina had created were unique and "genius". Adelina\'s talent made Setyowati ask her son, Samuel Respati, a musician and composer at Stoopa Music, to listen to the Adelina\'s arrangements. At first, Samuel was skeptical and even pessimistic. "After I recorded and listened to Adelina’s tunes and tried arranging them as digital music, I myself was stunned [to discover] that the chords and melody were unique and good," said Samuel.
Adelina’s family and friends were surprised and almost could not believe it when they were told about her talent in composing several songs. They finally grew to believe in her abilities and encouraged Adelina to produce an album.
At first, Adelina doubted whether her work was good enough and appropriate for a public audience. Her uncertainty started disappearing in September 2018, when Adelina sang several of her songs at an IFI Surabaya event.
The audience was surprised at Adelina\'s talent, and expressed hope that her songs would be produced as an album. Her family, Sforzando and Stoopa welcomed the idea. Adelina started the process of producing the entire album, from arranging her songs to scouting singers, from recording her songs and even designing the album cover. Her dedication revealed that Adelina was detailed-oriented and a perfectionist.
Adelina was invited to sing at several events for individuals with special needs in Surabaya. She became an example for people with disabilities to never give up. However, for her family and friends, Adelina is not merely an example for those with special needs, and is a model for everyone. She has produced a collection of songs that can be enjoyed by all, even if they were created by a person with disabilities.
"I am ready for my second album," Adelina said.
Adelina Setiawan
Born: Surabaya, Feb. 6, 1994
Sibling: Adelia Setiawan
Parents: Agustinus Setiawan, Natalia Sebastian
Education:
- Institut Francais Indonesia (since 2014)
- Sforzando Music Course Surabaya (since 2013)
- SMA 10 Public Senior High School, Surabaya
- Indriyasana VII Catholic Junior High School
- YPAC Surabaya Elementary School
- YPAC Surabaya Kindergarten