'Kopi Susu' With 'La Colegiala' Sandra Reemer

She was of Dutch, Chinese and Javanese extraction and born in Bandung, Indonesia on Oct 17, 1950. Barbara Alexandra (Xandra) Reemer loved to sing as a child but it was only after the family moved to the Netherlands (Holland) in 1958 that she started to participate in singing competitions.

Her chance came when young Sandra (X became S) appeared on the famous Katholieke RadioOmroep (KRO) show in April 1962. Her performance was quickly noticed by well-known bandleader and talent scout Frans Kerkhof who took her to Philips Records for an audition.

By the middle of 1962, the twelve year old Sandra shot to stardom with her Dutch version of Al Di La. She also became popular with her extensive repertoire which included Indonesian Malay songs. When she recorded some of these folksy favorites, listeners took an immediate liking as they became very popular.

Sandra has made herself known more as a songstress from the Netherlands than one from Indonesia, having represented the country three times at the internationally famous Eurovision Song Contest. The years were 1974, 1976 and 1979 and she sang, When It Comes To Love (in Dutch), The Party's Over and Colorado respectively during the shows.

Her hit songs that had spread far and wide in Singapore, Malaya and the Far East included songs in Dutch and Indonesian. Some of the Indonesian Malay titles are: Kopi Susu (Coffee And Milk), Nona Nona Djaman Sekarang (Today's Modern Ladies), Kapal Ladju (Speed, Boat!), Indonesia and Singapura.

As the years rolled along, successful Sandra stood tall and was soon in the same league with countrymen and stalwarts Anneke Gronloh, The Blue Diamonds, Johnny Lion and The Jumping Jewels. The Indo/Dutch invasion of Singapore had begun. Listen to her sing 'La Colegiala' on the right bar. The word means 'schoolgirl' in Spanish. Hot, Hot, >>

The maturity, style and sophistication are evident in Reemer's voice. The La Colegiala has gone a long way since Kopi Susu. This 'nona' is truly 'zaman sekarang.'

(Check Wikipedia in Dutch: Reemer's biography after the 70s.)
Images: Universal Music, Singapore/Google images.
Information: Wikipedia and Questing Bandstand.

Edited by: Andy Lim.