Gita Gutawa

Aluna Sagita Gutawa (born 11 August 1993), better known as Gita Gutawa, is an Indonesian singer.

She is also the daughter of composer Erwin Gutawa.

Although she originally studied piano, Gutawa later switched to vocals.

Gutawa was born Aluna Sagita Gutawa – Aluna Sagita meaning "song rhythm" – in Jakarta, Indonesia on 11 August 1993 to Erwin Gutawa, a composer, and Luthfi Andriani.

The first child of the couple, she enjoyed watching her father work on his compositions.

As a result, he enrolled her in a classical piano course, later sending her to a vocal course to develop her soprano voice.

She received full support from her father, who assisted her as an adviser.

In Chrisye's 2003 Dekade Concert, Gutawa performed in public for the first time, after Chrisye – who often collaborated with her father – invited her on stage.

She later described him as her idol.

She was discovered in 2004 while practising her vocals, then booked to sing a duet with ADA Band.

In 2004 Gutawa was approached by the manager of ADA Band, who had heard her practising at her singing lessons from the band's studio next door.

She was asked to sing a duet with the band's lead singer; Gutawa, although at the time only singing as a hobby, accepted.

After Heaven of Love (2005), featuring the duet, sold 800,000 copies, Gutawa was approached by Sony Music Indonesia with an offer to record a solo album.

The success of that album, the self-titled Gita Gutawa, led to numerous acting and marketing job offers.

The duet, titled "Yang Terbaik Bagimu" ("The Best for You"), was included on ADA Band's 2005 album Heaven of Love, which sold 800,000 copies.

After singing other duets with different singers, including religious singer Haddad Alwi, Gutawa was asked to record a solo album by Sony Music Indonesia.

After a year in production, Gutawa's self-titled debut album was released in February 2007.

The album was produced by her father and featured songs written by Glenn Fredly and Melly Goeslaw.

Well-received, Gita Gutawa sold 150,000 copies in four months and was eventually certified triple platinum.

After the success of the album, Gutawa's previously school-oriented schedule was filled with requests for media appearances and sponsorships.

This led to Gutawa's mother stepping in and serving as her manager, in which role she continued until she became pregnant.

Other members of Gutawa's family then assisted in managing her, with her mother scheduling Gutawa's media appearances and recording sessions.

Gutawa soon began singing in music festivals to gain experience.

Gutawa has received several awards, including Best Newcomer at the 2008 Anugerah Musik Indonesia.

She also won the 6th International Nile Children Song Festival in Cairo.

In 2008, she won the 6th International Nile Children Song Festival in Cairo with Ria Leimena's "To Be One", which she had previously sung on her debut album.

That same year she attended a song festival in Italy.

She later assembled a girl band to support her after several performances had to be cancelled due to an inability to find musicians at short notice.

After her return from Italy, Gutawa began production of her second album, Harmoni Cinta (Love's Harmony), in June 2008.

She played a larger role in its production than in her debut album, choosing the concepts behind the album as well as the track listing; she eventually wrote five of the album's twelve songs.

Since her debut, she has recorded two more albums, the well-received Harmoni Cinta in 2009 and the Islamic-themed Balada Shalawat in 2010.

As an actress, she has starred in two Indonesian soap operas, Ajari Aku Cinta and Ajari Lagi Aku Cinta.

The album was released in May 2009.

selling well.

In August of that year, she released her biography, Kota Musik Gita Gutawa (Gita Gutawa's Music Box).

She voiced a character for the animated Meraih Mimpi, and made her feature film debut in 2010's Love in Perth.

Personality-wise, Dian Kuswandini of The Jakarta Post has described Gutawa as being "sweet like Cotton Candy and warm like a kiss"; however, Gutawa has noted that there are people who believe she succeeded through nepotism.

Gutawa followed Harmony Cinta in August 2010 with a third album, the Islamic religious album Balada Shalawat (Ballads for Salah).

During recording, Gutawa received coaching from an Islamic scholar, or ustad, regarding the correct pronunciation of Arabic lyrics used in some songs.

The album was launched during Ramadhan, with profits donated to Indonesia's poor.