Published Feb 4, 2026, 12:55 PM EST
Dyah (pronounced Dee-yah) is a Senior Author at Collider, responsible for both writing and transcription duties. She joined the website in 2022 as a Resource Writer before stepping into her current role in April 2023. As a Senior Author, she writes Features and Lists covering TV, music, and movies, making her a true Jill of all trades. In addition to her writing, Dyah also serves as an interview transcriber, primarily for events such as San Diego Comic-Con, the Toronto International Film Festival, and the Sundance Film Festival.
Dyah graduated from Satya Wacana Christian University in October 2019 with a Bachelor's degree in English Literature, concentrating on Creative Writing. She is currently completing her Master's degree in English Literature Studies, with a thesis on intersectionality in postcolonial-feminist studies in Asian literary works, and is expected to graduate in 2026.
Born and raised between Indonesia and Singapore, Dyah is no stranger to different cultures. She now resides in the small town of Kendal with her husband and four cats, where she spends her free time cooking or cycling.
California just got a lot hotter with the Red Hot Chili Peppers. A byproduct of '80s Los Angeles — where punk and hardcore collided with early hip-hop and street culture — Anthony Kiedis, Flea, John Frusciante (and original guitarist Hillel Slovak), and Chad Smith formed a quartet that represented excess, freedom, and the downward spiral that often comes with having too much of a good thing.
Although the Red Hot Chili Peppers are best known for blending funk, punk, psychedelic rock, and everything in between, the band also knows how to get soft and vulnerable. Every band has a song they second-guess, the Peppers included. Little did they know that song would become the reason they achieved mainstream success on the Billboard charts.
This Red Hot Chili Peppers' Song Was Inspired by Anthony Kiedis' Drug Addiction
Red Hot Chili Peppers' 1991 album Blood Sugar Sex Magik marked the beginning of the band's superstardom, and for good reason. It was the record where the band started to shape the identity they're famous for today: the funk-driven guitar licks, tongue-in-cheek lyricism, and the sheer hedonism that is Los Angeles culture. Blood Sugar Sex Magik gave birth to hits like the twangy "Give It Away," which, underneath its iconic slinky bassline, is a surprisingly philosophical take on altruism — it's better to give more than to receive. Meanwhile, the more explicit "Suck My Kiss" is an unapologetic expression of romance in its purest, rawest, and arguably most unhinged form ("Kiss me, please pervert me, stick with this").
However, no track on Blood Sugar Sex Magik is a more defining moment for the Peppers than the vulnerable "Under the Bridge." Reflecting on painful moments from the past and how they manifest in the present. Frontman Kiedis has said the song was inspired by drug addiction, friendship, and deep loneliness tied to his relationship with Los Angeles, the place he has called home since he was young. Getting more personal with his own life, Kiedis confronted the city where he nearly destroyed himself with drugs, lost former bandmate Hillil Slovak to overdose, and entered a new chapter of sobriety that brought an unexpected sense of isolation.
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Anthony Kiedis Nearly Refused to Record "Under the Bridge," but the Band Stepped In
While working with producer Rick Rubin, Kiedis was encouraged to bring the song to rehearsal. Nervous and unsure, his voice shook as he sang, prompting him to tell the band they didn't have to do the song at all. Instead of backing away, each member picked up their instrument and helped transform Kiedis' fragile confession into one of the Red Hot Chili Peppers' biggest hits. Following its single release in February 1992, "Under the Bridge" peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and spent 26 cumulative weeks on the same chart in the United States.
"Under the Bridge" was far from obscure, and the more time the song spent on the airwaves, the more it resonated with people outside the band's expected audience. One of the more notable moments is when the English girl group All Saints released a cover of "Under the Bridge" for their 1997 debut album, All Saints. Reflecting on how well-received the song became, Kiedis isn't surprised that the song managed to touch different demographics: "I never thought 'Under the Bridge was going to be a single [...] I realized that with this song, we as a band weren't just communicating to a small circle of friends in Los Angeles and New York anymore."
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The Red Hot Chili Peppers Made SNL History with an Infamous Performance of "Under the Bridge"
While "Under the Bridge" has brought the band commercial success, it also garnered them infamy because of one particular live performance. At the height of their Blood Sugar Sex Magik success, the Red Hot Chili Peppers made their Saturday Night Live debut on February 22, 1992. At this point, guitarist Frusciante was struggling with sudden fame and resented the group's growing image. Performing "Under the Bridge" on SNL, Frusciante allegedly sabotaged the song by playing off-key and out of rhythm, visibly upsetting Kiedis and the band. Only months later, Frusciante quit the band mid-tour in Japan.
In his 2004 memoir Scar Tissue, Kiedis describes feeling caught off guard during the 1992 show, admitting he couldn't tell what Frusciante was playing and felt exposed on live television. Kiedis suspected that Frusicante was intentionally undermining the song and attributed his behavior to substance abuse. The incident reflected Frusciante's complicated history with the band. After leaving in 1992, he returned in 1998 following rehab and played a key role in Californication. He exited again in 2009 on good terms to pursue his solo interests, and rejoined in 2019.
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