Once
Elfonda Mekel, (born 21 May 1970), better known as Once Mekel ([ˈɔntʃə], pronounced Ohn-chè), is an Indonesian singer, researcher, music industry observer, entrepreneur, and politician. He started his career as a singer after completing high school, by becoming a semi-professional singer.
After being part of the research management field and achieving success as a vocalist, Once was invited to join Dewa 19, which had renamed itself Dewa, replacing Ari Lasso as the lead vocalist after the completion of the Pandawa Lima album (1997) and the single Elang (1999). Before joining the band, he had released solo singles such as "Juwita Pandang" (1991) and "Anggun" (1999).
Joining Dewa, Once played a significant role in the success of two best-selling albums, Bintang Lima (2000) and Cintailah Cinta (2002), with his distinctive vocals. Once produced a total of 5 albums with Dewa as co-lead vocalist with Ahmad Dhani. After his success as a co-lead vocalist with Dewa, Once revived his solo career with the single "Dealova" (2005), which was also the soundtrack for the film of the same name.
Following Dewa's disbandment in 2011 due to his departure, Once focused on his solo singing career. After releasing several singles, he finally launched his debut album titled Once (2012). Once is renowned as one of the best male vocalists in Indonesia due to his distinctive vocal style and power. Rolling Stone magazine included Once in the "50 Greatest Indonesian Singers".
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