Once Mekel

Elfonda Mekel (born 21 May 1970), better known by his stage name Once ([ˈɔntʃə], pronounced Ohn-chè), is an Indonesian singer and former lead vocalist of Dewa 19.

Biography

Once was born Elfonda Mekel in Ujung Pandang, South Sulawesi, on 21 May 1970. He began singing while attending junior high school at Tirta Marta Junior High School; he also learned how to play the drums, piano, and guitar. He eventually began participating in singing competitions, including an inter-high school competition in Jakarta.

After graduating from Tirta Mirta Senior High School, Once joined numerous bands. His first bands, Brawijaya and Dimensi, were cover bands. After joining Java Burns, he began singing songs he had written himself; he eventually provided a song for the compilation album Seribu Angan (A Thousand Dreams) in the early 1990s.

Due to a problem with his voice box, Once took a hiatus from singing between 1993 and 1997. He used this time to study law at the University of Indonesia, graduating in 1996. He also worked for a construction company.

Singing

Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of tonality, rhythm, the use of sustained tones and a variety of vocal techniques. A person who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung without accompaniment or with accompaniment by musical instruments. Singing is often done in a group of other musicians, such as in a choir of singers with different voice ranges, or in an ensemble with instrumentalists, such as a rock group or baroque ensemble. Singers may also perform as soloist with accompaniment from a piano (as in art song and in some jazz styles) or with a symphony orchestra or big band. There are a range of different singing styles, including art music styles such as opera and Chinese opera, religious music styles such as Gospel, traditional music styles, world music, jazz, blues and popular music styles such as pop and rock.

Singing can be formal or informal, arranged or improvised. It may be done for religious devotion, as a hobby, as a source of pleasure, comfort, or ritual, as part of music education, or as a profession. Excellence in singing requires time, dedication, instruction, and regular practice. If practice is done on a regular basis then the sounds can become more clear and strong. Professional singers usually build their careers around one specific musical genre, such as classical or rock, although there are singers with crossover success (singing in more than one genre). They typically take voice training provided by voice teachers or vocal coaches throughout their careers.

Once

Once may refer to:

Music

Other uses

Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)

"Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" is a dance-pop and R&B song from American singer Beyoncé's third studio album, I Am... Sasha Fierce (2008). Columbia Records released "Single Ladies" as a single on October 13, 2008 alongside "If I Were a Boy", showcasing the contrast between Beyoncé and her aggressive onstage alter ego Sasha Fierce. It explores men's unwillingness to propose or commit. In the song, the female protagonist is in a club to celebrate her single status.

Most music critics praised the song's smooth production and some noted its similarity to Beyoncé's 2007 single "Get Me Bodied". "Single Ladies" won three Grammy Awards in 2010, among other accolades. Several news media sources named it as one of the best songs of 2008, while some considered it one of the best songs of the decade.

It topped the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and has been certified quadruple-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), with more than 5 million paid digital downloads. The song charted among the top ten within the singles category in several other countries. Globally, it was 2009's seventh best-selling digital single with over 6.1 million copies sold and is one of the best-selling singles of all time.

King of Mask Singer

Mystery Music Show: King of Mask Singer (Hangul: 미스터리 음악쇼 복면가왕) is a South Korean singing competition program presented by Kim Sung-joo, with introductions by voice actor Lee Won-joon. It airs on MBC on Sunday at 16:50, starting from April 5, 2015 as a part of MBC's Sunday Night programming block, along with Real Men, replacing Animals.

Format

Competitors are given elaborate masks to wear in order to conceal their identity, thus removing factors such as popularity, career and age that could lead to prejudiced voting. In the first round, a pair of competitors sing the same song, while in the second and third rounds they each sing a solo song. After the First Generation, the winner of the Third Round goes on to challenge the Mask King, and is either eliminated or replaces the previous Mask King through live voting. The identities of the singers are not revealed unless they have been eliminated.

The winners of each pair are selected by the audience and panel of judges through instant live votes. The names of contestants are not revealed unless they have been eliminated. The next generation is continued with a new set of masked singers who will all go through three rounds of elimination, with one finalist challenging the winner of the previous generation's Mask King. Idols such as (see list below) and perhaps most notably 1st and 2nd generation winner F(X)’s Luna, also wowed the crowds with their impressive vocal abilities. Cha Ji-yeon (Amazon Cat-Girl) have 5, the highest number of wins.