She rose to fame after the release of her 1990 dangdut album Tamu Tak Diundang (Uninvited Guests).
She is best known for her songs "Cinta Bukanlah Kapal" (Love is Not a Ship), "Payung Hitam" (Black Umbrella) and "Ser".
However, the title track from her album Tamu Tak Diundang became a surprise hit and Dahlia soon gained a reputation as a more sophisticated dangdut singer.
[2] Early in her career, Dahlia would sing at various dangdut nightclubs, including Bintang-Bintang in Blok M.[3] In 2011, she performed at the World Interfaith Harmony Week celebration in Jakarta.
The couple later divorced, and Dahlia married a pilot from Garuda Indonesia, Satrio Dewandono, with whom she has one son.