Elfonda Mekel

Elfonda Mekel

Elfonda Mekel, who is popularly known by his stage name Once ([ˈÉ"ntʃə], pronounced Ohn-chx), is an Indonesian former lead vocalist of Dewa 19 and a singer. Once was born in Ujung Pandang, South Sulawesi, on May 21, 1970. During his time at Tirta Marta secondary school, he started singing and learned to play the drums, piano, and guitar. He participated in various singing competitions, including an inter-high school competition in Jakarta. After completing his studies at Tirta Mirta high school, Once joined different bands, including Brawijaya and Dimensi, where he performed cover songs. Once began singing songs he had written himself after joining Java Burns, and he provided a song for the compilation album Seribu Angan in the early 1990s.

Unfortunately, Once had to take a break from singing between 1993 and 1997 due to a vocal cord issue. During this period, he studied law at the University of Indonesia and graduated in 1996. Additionally, he worked for a construction company.

In 1997, Once began singing again in cafes, and in 1998 he recorded the soundtrack for the movie Kuldesak with Ahmad Dhani. Then, in 2000, Dhani invited Once to join his band, Dewa 19, as a replacement for Ari Lasso, who had been expelled from the group due to drug use. At the start, Once had difficulty meeting the high expectations of Lasso's fans, and he was criticized for his stiff on-stage persona.

However, Once eventually won over Dewa 19's fans with his first album with the group, Pandawa Lima, which was a huge success and sold 1.7 million copies. He went on to record four more albums with Dewa 19, as well as three solo singles, including "Dealova", "Aku Mau", and "Symphony yang Indah" ("A Beautiful Symphony").

On January 19, 2011, Once resigned from Dewa 19 to focus on his solo career, citing issues with royalties as a factor in his decision. He later joined forces with Ari Lasso, Doadibadai Hollo of Kerispatih, Maggi of /rif, Irfan of Samsons, and Yuke to form the AYLI Project. As of June 2011, he was working on his first solo album.

Once was awarded the Best Pop Soloist Award at the 2005 Anugerah Musik Indonesia. The following year, one of his songs was named Best Pop Song at AMI.