The name Dey Imbiri is no stranger to the people of Sorong. The artist, who has been active for a long time, is still active until now and has various achievements. He is an artist involved in various artistic activities such as choreographer, songwriter, actor, band member, and he owns a music studio. Dey Imbiri is a Papuan artist who was the first to use the Papuan dialect in the songs he created.
“My song is my own work, created for the album in 2022 titled ‘Yang Ko Bilang.’ Previously, there were no Papuan artists brave enough to use the Papuan dialect. I tried it, and it turned out to be well-received in many places,” Dey told RRI Pro 2 Sorong on Wednesday (12/03/2025).
Dey Imbiri also acted in a film in 1990 as his first step into the world of acting. He is still active as a band member to this day.
“In 1990, I acted in the film Ekspedisi Harta Karun (Tresure Expedition) and most recently, I acted in the film Sepeda Presiden (The President’s Bicycle).” I am also a band member in the Dey Family band and am still very active until now,” he added.
The man who was born 57 years ago was originally a backup dancer. Including being a backup dancer for Edo Kondologit while in Jakarta. However, as time went by, he began to muster the courage to write songs, and a song was created in 1997. However, Dey mentioned that he was still active in the world of dance at that time.
“Once there was my brother who was a great artist in Papua.” At that time, we lived in Jakarta. Then I made a song, but I didn’t know I was supposed to use the Papua dialect, like Sa, Ko, Tra maybe. And at that moment, I immediately made it in the Papuan dialect. So in 1997, I had already made a song in the Papua dialect, “Sambung Dey.”
Dey said that the song he created was semi-rap. However, at that time he did not realize that his song was a rap. Dey himself intentionally created a song with fast-paced lyrics that actually caught attention at that time.
“At that time, there was no Papuan rap yet, and I didn’t realize that the genre of the song I created was rap.” Finally, my older brother said that the song I created couldn’t be performed by just anyone. For that reason, I immediately went into the recording studio, even though I initially felt a lack of confidence. However, in the end, I was able to perform and sing in front of Mr. Prabowo and the First Lady of President Jokowi,” said Dey.
Dey Imbiri said that he and Hendra Lokollo, his fellow artist, once went to Latvia to participate in a competition where they won a gold medal representing Indonesia and also representing Papua.
In creating the song, Dey Imbiri was inspired by Bob Marley and reggae music. Dey said that he also participated in the creation of jingles such as the jingle for Southwest Papua, Sorong City, South Sorong, and Tambrauw.
So far, the challenge faced by Dey Imbiri in making music is the issue of sponsorship. According to him, many talented local artists in Sorong have great works but are hindered by financial constraints in their production activities. He hopes that in the future, artists in the city of Sorong will receive more attention from the government to support them in continuing their work.
https://www.rri.co.id/hiburan/1384134/seniman-papua-perkenalkan-karya-budaya-lewat-musik-raggae
West Papua Now 