Dewa

Dewa 19 is an Indonesian rock band formed in Surabaya in the mid-1980s, best known for the songwriting and keyboard work of Ahmad Dhani, who has anchored the group through numerous lineup changes. Alongside singers such as Once Mekel during the band's most commercially dominant era, Dewa 19 built a sound that fuses pop-rock hooks with progressive and electronic textures, often layered with lush keyboards and anthemic choruses.

Through the 1990s and 2000s the band became one of the most commercially successful acts in Indonesian pop and rock, with albums that produced enduring hits across the archipelago. Songs like «Pupus», «Separuh Nafas», and «Risalah Hati» became staples of Indonesian radio and remain widely covered and streamed today.

Dewa 19's evolving lineup and Dhani's willingness to shift between guitar-driven rock, ballads, and more electronic-leaning arrangements have kept the band's catalog stylistically varied. Their influence on Indonesian pop-rock songwriting, particularly in blending melodic sentimentality with technically ambitious arrangements, has made them a reference point for generations of Indonesian musicians.