given the name Sheilagank

The band came from an earlier incarnation called ” W.H.Y Gank ” which was headed by Adam and Sakti. Both members had invited Duta – who had been performing with Adam at as a singer and acoustic guitar duo at their neighbourhood’s 17 August celebrations – to join their band practice to be a vocalist. A year after “W.H.Y Gank” was formed, the band met Eross (who then became their lead guitarist and leader of the band). The four of them decided to form a new band, and while at their first studio jamming session Eross introduced the band to Anton. The band was given the name “Sheilagank” – “Sheila” being the name of a female friend both Adam and Eross knew of – with the official formation date being 6 May 1996. Sheilagank performed in numerous band festivals organised by high schools for about 2 years until the middle of 1998, when they got their first recording contract with the Sony Music Entertainment Indonesia label. The members changed their band name to “Sheila On 7”: the “on 7” referring to the seven-note solfège , while “Sheilagank” became the name of their fanbase.