Nora's 'Di Persimpangan Dilema' a hit again 28 years later in Indonesia

'Di Persimpangan Dilema' – a melancholic ballad describing a relationship at the brink of destruction – was released as a single off Nora's 1994 debut album 'Sandiwara'. Photo: Filepic

Malaysian singer Nora Ariffin's 1994 hit Di Persimpangan Dilema is experiencing a resurgence in popularity in Indonesia.

It all started when a contestant, Melisa Hartanto, on reality singing series Indonesian Idol performed the ballad two weeks ago. The video has since garnered over two million YouTube views.

In the video, judge Rossa not only praised Melisa's performance but walked viewers through the song's history, beginning with its original singer Nora to its ascend up the Indonesian music charts in recent times.

Di Persimpangan Dilema – a melancholic ballad describing a relationship at the brink of destruction – was released as a single off Nora's 1994 debut album Sandiwara and became a huge hit in Malaysia.

The song has been rerecorded multiple times over the years including a duet version featuring Nora and Vince Chong, Dilema 2003.

Indonesian singers Kris Dayanti and Terry have also put their spin on the song. The latter's 2017 music video clocked in 55 million YouTube views.

"Perhaps not many realise that this song has spanned 28 years ... To this day, the melody of this song remains evergreen. Each time I get up on stage to perform, this song is 'compulsory'," Nora comments about the song's recent Indonesian success in an interview with Harian Metro.

"Thank you Rossa and (fellow Indonesian Idol judge) Anang for this acknowledgement. It means a lot to me. Thank you also to Melisa for your beautiful rendition. I love it. Thank you Indonesia."