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In this day and age, a couple staying together for 25 years is quite rare. For a musical group to stay together that long, while remaining popular and relevant, is even rarer. For Kahitna, one of Indonesia’s most iconic pop groups, making it to its silver anniversary was something not even the group’s founder had thought possible.

“It’s a huge blessing for us,” said Yovie Widianto, who established the group in 1986, before he sliced off the top of a tumpeng, the conical yellow rice dish made for special celebrations, at the band’s 25th anniversary celebration at Kafe Pisa Mahakam, South Jakarta, on June 24.

“We never thought that we’d come this far. We thought that we’d just play music until we graduated from our universities and got real jobs.”

Yovie started the group when he was still a freshman at Padjadjaran University in Bandung. He recruited his good friends, Trie Utami, Budiana Nugraha and Bambang Purwono, to be the new band’s vocalist, drummer and keyboardist, respectively. Yovie, who plays the piano and keyboards, also acts as the musical director for the group.

During their first few years, the group competed in a number of music festivals in Indonesia and abroad. In 1991, it won the national Yamaha Band Explosion (BEX) competition at Taman Ismail Marzuki in Jakarta, allowing it to go on to the BEX World Final at the famous Budokan Hall in Tokyo. There they played “Lajeungan,” which won them the top prize.

That victory did not immediately pave the way to success, though. Major record labels in Jakarta still looked down on the new band from Bandung and rejected its demo albums.

“Our producers, Bens Leo and Eddy Susilo, took us around to many pubs, cafes and studios in Jakarta to introduce us as a new, upcoming band,” Yovie said.

Despite their talent and passion, few of the pubs and cafes they played at in those early days appreciated the band’s struggles.

“One of them paid us with a platter of sausages and French fries,” vocalist Hedi Yunus, who joined the band in 1987, said with a laugh. “Another paid us Rp 17,500 ($2) for a three-hour performance. Even then, that amount was so meager that we could only afford two packets of nasi padang, which we shared among the five of us.”

However, their hard work eventually paid off. At one of their shows, they met with Indrawati Widjaja, executive producer of Musica Studio, one of the largest recording companies in Indonesia, who gave the band a contract.

Their first album, “Cerita Cinta” (“Love Story”), was released in 1994. The album became a best-seller, selling more than 1 million copies.

The success of their first album was followed by the release of their second album, “Cantik” (“Beautiful”), in 1996. The album, which included fusion jazz, ethnic jazz and upbeat pop music, also sold more than 1 million copies. Some of the singles from that album, such as “Cantik,” “Tak Sebebas Merpati” (“Not as Free as a Dove”) and “Andai Ia Tahu” (“If Only She Knew”), remain favorites to this day.

“A fan wrote to me once that he proposed to his wife by singing ‘Cantik,’” Yovie said.

Soft, romantic songs with catchy lyrics and easy-listening rhythms have become Kahitna’s speciality.

“It’s really important to preserve our identity,” Yovie said. “We don’t want to become like chameleons that change too easily. We may perceive the current trends, but that doesn’t mean that we should get carried away. We stay true to our own colors and play our own music.”

The band has released seven albums so far, including its most recent one, “Lebih Dari Sekedar Cantik” (“More than Beautiful”), in 2010.

The band has also maintained the same group of nine people for more than 10 years. Today, the band consists of founding members Yovie, Budiana and Bambang, as well as Carlo Saba (vocalist), Hedi (vocalist), Mario Ginanjar (vocalist), Dody Isnaini (bassist), Harry Suhardiman (percussion) and Andrie Bayuadjie (guitarist).

According to the members of the band, the group’s strong kinship has been the key to their success.

“I’ve never found such kinship elsewhere,” said Mario, 28, the youngest member of the group. “We really understand and care about one another.”

The group also has the unique tradition of getting together on the second day of Idul Fitri for a luncheon.

“Usually, we gather together in a restaurant in Bandung,” Hedi said. “They come with their wives and kids. Mario and I, who are still single, just mingle with them. It’s just like we all belong to one big happy family.”

To further mark their 25th anniversary, Kahitna will soon publish a book.

“It will contain our old pictures, love quotes and short stories by our band members,” Yovie said. “Our good friends will also write some of the stories.”

Among the co-authors of the book are fashion designer Iwet Ramadhan, actress Mona Ratuliu, TV presenter Indra Herlambang and actress Tia Ivanka.

“We want to give something special to our fans for our 25th anniversary,” Hedi said.

The book is scheduled to be published in the middle of July.

The band will also perform at the Jakarta Convention Center on Sept. 15 for its 25th anniversary concert. Twenty-five songs from their seven albums will be performed during the two-hour concert.

“We hope the concert can become a meeting point for our fans from all generations,” Yovie said.

One thousand tickets, offered during a pre-sale event at the Hard Rock Cafe in Plaza Indonesia on April 4, were sold out in only one day.

“Hopefully, our band will stay together until death do us part,” Yovie said. “And when we’re gone, we hope our music will remain and become part of the legacy of the Indonesian music industry.”

Kahitna 25th Anniversary Concert
Jakarta Convention Center
Sept. 15, 8 p.m.
Tickets: Rp 350,000 to Rp 5,000,000 ($41 to $585).
To purchase, go to Rajakarcis.com