Getting To Know The Figure Of Wawan Juniarso, The Former Drummer For Dewa 19 Who Was Sued For Divorce From His Wife

Wawan Juniarso (Instagram @ wa2n_juniarso)

JAKARTA - For a long time without hearing his name, the former drummer for the band Dewa 19, Wawan Juniarso, appeared with bad news. He was sued for divorce by Inge Indrawati, the wife he has been married to for 23 years.

Compiled by VOI from various sources, Wawan is one of the founders of Dewa 19 which he formed in 1986 with Dhani, Erwin, and Andra. The letter "W" in the name Dewa is an acronym for his name.

When it was first established, Wawan's house was often used as a basecamp by Dewa 19 personnel. Wawan himself was a figure who recommended Ari Lasso to become a vocalist in the band.

In 1988 Wawan decided to leave Dewa 19 and joined the band Outsider. The difference in the direction of music in Dewa's personnel made Wawan have to make decisions. Wawan likes rock music, while Dewa 19, which has pop roots, has begun to switch to jazz due to Erwin's influence.

Wawan was again summoned to revive Dewa, by inviting Ari Lasso as well. This time, Dewa 19 is more flexible by not being entangled in one type of music. They combine pop, rock, and even jazz into a new color that is typical of Dewa 19.

In 1992, Dewa 19 released their first self-titled album. Unexpectedly, with the single titled Kangen dan Kita Tanpa Sudah Bercinta Lagi their debut album exploded and sold well in the market.

In this album, Wawan co-wrote the song Dewa & Si Currency with Dhani and Erwin. This is the only song that Wawan composed with Dewa 19.

Two years later, in the middle of working on their second album, Format Depan, Wawan left. Two additional positions were replaced; Ronald Fristianto (drums) and Rere Reza (Grassrock).

The latest news says, Wawan is doing his profession behind the scenes. He was the manager of the music group Neutral, The Fly, little singer Tegar, Indah Kusuma and many other artists.

Together with Alfas Hermansyah (the person who discovered Tegar), Wawan then founded PT Negri Diawan (label & artist management).

However, the COVID-19 pandemic then stung and caused Wawan's financial condition to be battered. This is what reportedly caused him to be sued for divorce from his wife.