Dongker Reveals Unique Reason Jason Ranti Wants to Collaborate, Not Because of Music

Many assume this collaboration started from Dongker's song "Merusak Kesenangan" which mentions Jeje, but there’s actually a more unique story behind it. This golden opportunity came from the promoter Tiba-Tiba Festival, Seraya Live, who offered Dongker to collaborate with their chosen musician. Without hesitation, Jason Ranti's name became the top choice.

"One of the triggers was indeed that song, Sir. Yes, but the ones who gave us the path and opportunity were the friends from Seraya Live. They are the promoters in Bandung. When they invited Dongker to perform at Tiba-Tiba Fest for the second time this year, they offered the chance to 'let's make a collaboration.' Then they gave us the freedom to choose anyone we wanted," explained Delpi.

However, there is an interesting fact behind Jeje's approval that is actually unrelated to the quality of Dongker's music. Delpi revealed that at that time, Jeje had never even heard their songs. The famous folk musician agreed to collaborate purely for two simple reasons: Dongker has a background in fine arts and the way they contacted him was considered very polite.

"It turns out that Mas Jeje is willing. Just a fun fact, Mas Jeje agreed not because our song is good or because he likes our song. In fact, he didn't even know our song when he came. He only wanted to collaborate because we are fine arts students and he said that the one who messaged him was me by coincidence, so I messaged Mas Jeje's wife, Mbak Olin. So, because we are fine arts students and I messaged him, thank God it was polite Mas," he revealed.

Their first meeting was far from the expectations of a typical introduction session between musicians, which is usually filled with jamming or music discussions. Delpi recounts that when he first visited Jeje's house, they only had a casual chat and watched the idol paint in his studio. This moment became the foundation of the "artistic accident" that eventually led to the creation of a full album.

"It was just that. And when we met, we didn’t play guitar or anything, just talked at his house. Watching him paint. His studio is indeed full of his paintings," said Delpi.

Now, the project that started from a polite message has been fully completed and is ready to be widely heard. The album I Don’t Know and I Dongker not only marks a collaboration but also serves as proof that the path to great works sometimes comes from unexpected things.

"It's done, just waiting for what, waiting for the release and its promotions. Meanwhile, there are two videos that we will take for the music video and live session," he concluded.