Word: dewa
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...released their self-titled 2005 debut album in the U.S. in September. What American listeners will make of White Shoes' fey and shimmering songs - mostly recorded in Indonesian, with one or two in English - remains to be seen however. Indonesia's biggest stars - platinum-selling bands such as Dewa and Gigi - have never had any impact on the U.S. market. When they tour the States, it's to play to the small handfuls of Indonesian students on American campuses...
...scene's rising stars is Balinese artist Dewa Gede Ratayoga. At the 27-year-old's first show, held in Jakarta's Ark Galerie last April, all of the giant hyper-realist canvases were sold by the end of the opening night, some for as much as $5,000. By international reckoning this was a small sum, but by Indonesian standards it was an extraordinary haul by a young unknown. "This is the beginning of a new trend," says Bruce Wallace, chief representative in Indonesia of UBS, the bank that helped sponsor the show. "When quality comes on the market...
Rabbis are an uncommon sight in Indonesia, much less at a performance by the country's top rock star. Yet there they were, tapping along as Ahmad Dhani (also known as Dhani Dewa) sang his Warriors of Love at a recent conference in Bali on religious tolerance. Afterward, the rabbis-along with Islamic, Hindu and Catholic clerics-jostled for photos with the rock star...
...Dhani first has to win over his homeland, however. He grew up in Surabaya, listening to Queen and Japanese jazz-fusion outfit Casiopea. After notching up seven platinum albums in Indonesia with his own band, Dewa 19, he announced his intention to wean millions of his countrymen away from extremist Islamic views. "What happens depends on how we deal with the radicals and teach people about Islam," explains Dhani, who says he quit a religious school as a child because he was put off by its conservative Wahhabi teachings. "It's time to come together, even if we have...
...Critics say Dhani's newfound spiritual interest masks the falling sales of Dewa 19's albums (the latest shifted 400,000 copies, in contrast to the two previous ones, which sold over a million each). But residual love for his music remains sky high. "Most Indonesians have had a Dewa 19 moment," says Rian Pelor, a music writer for Trax magazine. Certainly, there is no musician like Dhani in the country-he is Indonesia's Cobain or Lennon. And while his new musical tack has been greeted with suspicion in some quarters, what if it does articulate a concern...