Ebiet G. Ade

The legendary Ebiet G. Ade, along with his emotive, yearning voice and keening lyricism, has become synonymous with Indonesian working-class life. Born Abid Ghoffar Aboe Dja’far in 1954, Banjarnegara, Central Java, Ade initially envisioned a career in poetry, but went a step further in putting his words to music and weaving heart-rending tales of common folk. Since his late 1970s debut, Ade’s musical poetry has captured the hearts of millions across the archipelago, as enthralled by its beauty as by the profundity of its storytelling.