Once Mekel

Ellfonda Mekel
Background information
Birth name	Ellfonda Mekel
Born	(1970-05-21) 21 May 1970 Makassar, Indonesia
Genres	Rock, pop, hard rock, pop rock, soft rock, alternative rock, pop metal
Occupation(s)	Singer, songwriter, entrepreneur, music industry observer, politician, actor
Years active	1988–present
Formerly of	Dewa 19
Spouse(s)	Rietmadhanty Angelica Tauchid

Elfonda Mekel (born 21 May 1970), widely known as Once Mekel (pronounced “Ohn-chè”), is an Indonesian singer, researcher, music industry observer, entrepreneur, and politician. He began his career after finishing high school as a semi-professional singer. Before becoming widely known in music, he also worked in research management. Early in his career, he released solo singles such as “Juwita Pandang” (1991) and “Anggun” (1999).

Once gained national recognition after joining the band Dewa 19 (later known as Dewa). He replaced Ari Lasso as the lead vocalist following the release of the Pandawa Lima album (1997) and the single “Elang” (1999). As a member of Dewa, he contributed to the success of several popular albums, including Bintang Lima (2000) and Cintailah Cinta (2002). During his time with the band, he worked alongside Ahmad Dhani as a co-lead vocalist and participated in a total of five albums.

After achieving success with the band, Once resumed his solo career. In 2005, he released the single “Dealova,” which was used as the soundtrack for a film with the same title. Following his departure from Dewa in 2011, which led to the group’s disbandment, he focused fully on his solo work. He later released his first full solo album, Once (2012). Once Mekel is widely recognized for his strong and distinctive vocal style. He has been listed by Rolling Stone Indonesia among the “50 Greatest Indonesian Singers.”

Discography

Fargat 727

• Seribu Angan (1991)

Dewa 19

• Bintang Lima (2000)
• Cintailah Cinta (2002)
• Laskar Cinta (2004)
• Republik Cinta (2006)

Once (Solo Career)

• Once (2012)
• Intrinsik (2015)
• Sigma (2023)

Singles

• Anggun (1999)
• Dealova (2004)
• Kucinta Kau Apa Adanya (2006
• Symphony Yang Indah (2011)
• Ditentukan Untuk Bersama (2022)
• Untuk Kita (2023)

Awards

Voted Best Pop Soloist at the 2005 Anugerah Musik Indonesia (AMI). The following year, one of his songs was voted Best Pop Song at AMI.

Personal life

Once Mekel is a Protestant Christian. On 20 December 2005, he married his girlfriend of three years, Rietmadhanty Angelica Tauchid, who is commonly known as Ima. During the wedding ceremony, Ima arrived in a vintage car that had once been used by President Sukarno as a presidential vehicle. The wedding reception was held in the evening at Hotel Mulia. Ima is the daughter of Indonesian singer Henny Purwonegoro.

References

Bibliography

• Febriani, Prih Prawesti (27 June 2011). "Once Acuhkan Ahmad Dhani?" [Is Once Ignoring Ahmad Dhani?]. detik.com (in Indonesian). Archived from the original on 2 October 2011. Retrieved 30 January 2017.
• Handayani, Primastuti (16 February 2002). "Dewa delights loyal fans in concert". The Jakarta Post. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 2 October 2011.
• "It's official: Once has resigned from Dewa 19". The Jakarta Post. 20 January 2011. Archived from the original on 8 June 2011. Retrieved 2 October 2011.
• "Once". TokohIndonesia.com (in Indonesian). Archived from the original on 14 August 2016. Retrieved 2 October 2011.
• "Once Dewa". KapanLagi.com (in Indonesian). Retrieved 2 October 2011.
• Simanjuntak, Tertiani ZB (23 February 2003). "Dewa buries hatchet in tehe [sic] name of love". The Jakarta Post. Retrieved 2 October 2011.
• Sofyan, Eko Hendrawan (9 March 2011). "Ngobrol Bareng Once, Yuk!" [Let's Speak with Once!]. Kompas (in Indonesian). Archived from the original on 2 October 2011. Retrieved 30 January 2017.

Other websites

• Official website