Nicky Astria
Born in Bandung, West Java, to a schoolteacher and his musician wife, Astria began singing in 1975 while the family was stationed in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. After several years of participating in festivals and taking vocal training, in 1984 Astria was signed to AMK Records. Although her 1st album flopped, she found success with her 2nd and 3rd albums, Jarum Neraka and Tangan-Tangan Setan.Dewi was born on 18 October 1967 in Bandung to Tatang Kosasih Wirahadimaja, a schoolteacher, and Andrina Heryati, a traditional musician; she was the couple's only daughter, and 4th of five children. Dewi was known as a tomboy in her youth and is of Sundanese descent. In 1972, her father was sent to head the Indonesian school at the Indonesian embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Dewi, although of the age to begin kindergarten, was enrolled in the 1st grade. She reportedly had trouble initially, as her family spoke Sundanese at home, and thus she had difficulty understanding the Indonesian-language lessons.
In 1981, Wirahadimaja died. On his deathbed, he gave Dewi his blessings for her to become a singer; she had just received her 1st honorarium for performing, Rp. 25,000 for performing Ahmad Albar's "Balada Sejuta Wajah". Her father's death left her family financially destitute, which led to Dewi moving to her grandmother's house. She gave her 1st rock performance with the Ronners at the Rally Rock Jakarta-Bandung in Jakarta.
In 1984, Dewi was signed to AMK Records; to be more commercial, she adopted the stage name Nicky Astria. She soon released Semua dari Cinta, which featured songs by Tarida Hutauruk and Jelly Tobing. The album, which had somewhat pop sound, was poorly received. She was later introduced to several prominent musical figures, including guitarist-cum-songwriter Ian Antono, who served as producer and helped her further her career. She was managed by her brother Bucky for the 1st several years of her career.
Astria 2nd album, Jarum Neraka, was released in 1985. It had more of a rock feel and sold over 350,000 copies, making it the 1st Indonesian rock album to do so. It was followed by Tangan-Tangan Setan (Hands of Satan), also in 1985; this 3rd album brought her mainstream success. Astria's success led to numerous new female rockers entering the industry, after three previous female rockers had left several years earlier. Although her elder brother Dicky insisted she attend university, Astria focused on her musical career.
Every year from 1985 to 1987, Astria won the BASF Award for Best Female Rock Singer. In the late 1980s Astria toured with fellow female rockers Nike Ardilla and Anggun, often sharing a room despite the press depicting them as rivals. Astria performed in the Tokyo Music Festival in 1988, singing one of her songs and participating in a rendition of the Japanese-language song "Hana". In 1989, Astria released a rearranged version of "Jarum Neraka", the titular song of her 2nd album. Towards the end of the 1980s, she acted in Biarkan Aku Cemburu, after being invited by her neighbour Eddy D. Iskandar.
In 1999, Astria recorded a duet with Chrisye, entitled "Khayalku", for the rearranged version of the 1977 album Badai Pasti Berlalu. In 2001, she was one of four musicians who established the Bandung School of Higher Musical Learning (Perguruan Tinggi Musik Bandung), which teaches both music and business aspects of the music industry. Two years later, during a promotional tour for her recent album Maafkan (Forgive), a fan was killed in a fight at a concert in Cirebon.
Astria's 1st marriage was to Satria Kamal, the son of a politician, in 1992. The couple had two children before their divorce in the early 2000s. Astria then married Hendra Priyadi, the owner of a music studio, in 2003. The couple divorced a year later. She married Gunanta Afrina in 2005; the couple have one child together. Astria is a Muslim.
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