Indonesian singer Marcello Tahitoe, more familiarly known as Ello, is now officially joining the legendary band, Dewa 19. This news came from Ello’s personal Instagram account, @marcello_tahitoe. He posted the news on February 28th, 2022, and the post has got more than 30.000 likes and nearly 2000 comments.

In the post, he wrote: “Never have I ever thought to be able to join @officialdewa19. I have been listening to and idolizing their work for a long time. But I finally get this chance. It feels like a dream.”

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Marcello Tahitoe (@marcello_tahitoe)

Ello admitted that he is pessimistic, almost insecure, about being able to replace the former vocalists of Dewa 19. He simply wants to give his best in this opportunity.

“I know exactly how I cannot replace the former vocalists, but I will give my best for this band,” wrote Ello.

In the post, he also took the opportunity to greet Dewa 19’s fans, Baladewa, saying, “And for my new family @baladewafamilia, grant me with your support to start my new life with you."

Ello is not Dewa 19's permanent vocalist
Petra, Ello’s manager, confirmed the news. He said that Ello has actually joined with Dewa 19 since last year. Even so, Petra ensured that Ello is not completely in the management. Ello can still do his work outside Dewa 19.

“He joined but he is not in Dewa 19’s structure. Ello can still do his solo projects, sing his own songs,” said Petra.

To confirm things, Petra said that Ello’s position in Dewa 19 is the same as Pamungkas and Virzha, the previous two soloists who were recruited by Ahmad Dhani. Dewa 19 leader, Ahmad Dhani, has prepared upcoming projects with Ello. Petra, however, cannot yet disclose when Ello will be performing with Dewa 19 publicly.

Dewa 19 and its long list of vocalists
Throughout its existence, Dewa 19 has had several different vocalists, from Ahmad Dhani, Ari Lasso, to Once Mekel. After Once’s resignation in 2011, Dewa 19 decided not to fill the vocalist post permanently. Instead, they chose to collaborate with different singers.

Starting from their own former vocalists, namely Ari Lasso and Once themselves, to renowned soloists such as Judika, Virzha, and many others.

Whereas for Ello, his name took off in the second half of the 2000s, where his singles like 'Pergi Untuk Kembali' and 'Masih Ada' filled Indonesian top charts. He is a musician who had a long history with music in his family. Her mother, Diana Nasution, was a popular singer and actress in the 70s and 80s.