Dewa 19

Dewa 19 are one of Indonesia's most influential rock and pop bands, formed in Surabaya in 1986. The name references the age of the founding members at the time, and the group went through numerous lineup changes over the decades while remaining a dominant force in Indonesian popular music. Their self-titled 1992 debut was a breakthrough success, earning recognition at the BASF Awards and establishing the band as a major national act.

Throughout the 1990s and 2000s Dewa 19 built a catalog defined by soaring melodic rock, romantic balladry, and polished pop-rock arrangements, with songs like «Kangen (Ku ’Kan Datang)», «Aku Milikmu» and «Cukup Siti Nurbaya» becoming enduring staples of Indonesian radio. The band's sound bridged Western arena-rock influences with the emotional directness favored in Indonesian pop, helped along by frontman Ahmad Dhani's songwriting and keyboard-driven production.

Dewa 19 released nearly ten studio albums along with compilations and live recordings, cementing their status as one of the best-selling and most award-winning acts in the country's music history. Their influence extended beyond record sales, shaping a generation of Indonesian rock bands that followed and keeping the group a fixture of the national music scene for decades.