Listen to Dewa 19’s first new single in 12 years, ‘Juliette’

Indonesian rock band Dewa 19 have released a new single, ‘Juliette’, their first fresh original track in 12 years and the recorded debut of their new vocalist Marcello Tahitoe.

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‘Juliette’ – which was produced by frontman Ahmad Dhani and released on major streaming platforms on Friday (April 1) – is their first single with longtime collaborator and actor-singer Marcello Tahitoe also credited as Ello on the song, who joined the band earlier this year.

‘Juliette’ is the first new music the rockers have released since 2012’s ‘Bukan Cinta Manusia Biasa’. An early version of the song sung by former vocalist Virzha had surfaced in the band’s Instagram stories in 2020.

‘Juliette’ sees the band take on a more energetic sound compared to their previous releases, combining horns and an infectious guitar riff.

Watch the music video for Dewa 19’s ‘Juliette’ below.

‘Juliette’ also serves as a preview of the veteran band’s upcoming material, with a press release stating that the track will kick off a string of releases for Dewa 19.

Tahitoe was officially announced as the band’s new vocalist on March 1. He wrote on social media: “It feels like a dream. I know I can’t replace all of the band’s previous vocalists, but I will give my best for this band.”

Dewa 19 re-released their 2004 track ‘Hadapi Dengan Senyuman’ earlier this week, with Virzha’s vocals taking front and centre in the track. ‘Hadapi Dengan Senyuman’ was taken off the album ‘Laskar Cinta’, which was the last album the band released as Dewa before changing their name to Dewa 19.

The band – which consists of frontman and lead composer Ahmad Dhani, Andra Ramadhan, Yuke Sampurna and Agung Yudha apart from Ello – previously released new recordings of their hits ‘Risalah Hati’ and ‘Kangen’ featuring singer-songwriter Yura Yunita in July 2021. The two songs are expected to be part of a series of releases leading up to Dewa 19’s 30th anniversary celebrations later this year.

A month prior, Indonesian singer-songwriter Pamungkas released his own covers of Dewa 19’s ‘Risalah Hati’ and ‘Pupus’. Dewa 19 also in turn released an official cover of Pamungkas’ ‘To The Bone’.

Dewa 19 most recently performed an intimate gig at the Roots Resto & Lounge in Bandung on March 31, marking their first show with Ello.

The post Listen to Dewa 19’s first new single in 12 years, ‘Juliette’ appeared first on NME.