Dangdut

Dangdut () is a genre of Indonesian folk music that is partly derived and fused from Hindustani, Arabic, and, to a lesser extent, Javanese, Malay, Minangkabau, Sundanese and local folk music. Dangdut is the most popular musical genre in Indonesia and very popular in other Maritime Southeast Asian countries because of its melodious instrumentation and vocals. Dangdut features a tabla and gendang beat. Several popular dangdut singers include Rhoma Irama, Mansyur S., Elvy Sukaesih, Camelia Malik, Rita Sugiarto, and now Iyeth Bustami, Ayu Ting Ting, Lesti Kejora and Via Vallen as Indonesian dangdut divas. Their music includes strong Indian music influences as the basis of harmony, theme, and beat. A dangdut musical group typically consists of a lead singer, backed by four to eight musicians. Instruments usually include a tabla, gendang, flute, mandolin, guitars, sitar, drum machines, and synthesisers. Modern dangdut incorporates influences from Middle Eastern pop music, Western rock, reggae, disco, contemporary R&B, hip-hop, house, and electronic dance music. The popularity of dangdut peaked in the 1970s and 1980s, but emerged in the late 1960s. By 2012, it was still largely popular in Western Indonesia, but the genre was becoming less popular in the eastern parts, apart from Maluku. Meanwhile, more regional and faster-paced forms of dangdut (as opposed to slower, Bollywood-influenced dangdut) have risen in popularity.