R.Wan

The lead vocalist of the stylistically wide-ranging French band Java, R.Wan embarked on a solo career in the mid-2000s and released a series of Radio Cortex albums. Born Erwan Seguillon and hailing from Paris, he co-founded Java in 1997 with bandmates François Xavier Bossard (aka Fixi; accordion, keyboard), Jérôme Boivin (aka Pépouseman; double bass), and Alexis (aka Bistrol Banto; drums). Signed to a recording contract with the Sony subsidiary label S.M.A.L.L., the band made its full-length album debut in 2000 with Hawaï. The band's dynamic live show was showcased on the follow-up album, Sur Seine (2001). The third Java album, the studio effort Safari Croisière (2003), was the band's most successful to date, reaching number 31 on the French albums chart. While Java continued to perform live in concert in subsequent years, the bandmembers focused on side projects when they weren't touring together. R.Wan embarked on a solo career as an eclectic singer/songwriter and made his full-length album debut with Radio Cortex (2006) on the Makasound label. The album spawned the single "Lâche l'Affaire." Radio Cortex, Vol. 2 (2008) followed a couple years later, spawning the single "Demain." ~ Jason Birchmeier