Singapore Idol

Singapore Idol
Singapore Idol
SingaporeIdol Logo.PNG
Singapore Idol logo
Format Interactive reality game show
No. of episodes 3 seasons, 54 episodes
Broadcast
Original channel MediaCorp Channel 5
Original run 2004 – present
External links
Website

Singapore Idol is a television show on Channel 5 of MediaCorp TV. It is a competition among undiscovered singers in Singapore. Like others in the Idol series, it is modelled after Pop Idol. The current judges are singer/songwriter Dick Lee and record producers Florence Lian and Ken Lim. Previous judges included local singers Douglas Oliverio and Jacintha Abisheganaden. The show is currently hosted by local celebrity and funnyman Gurmit Singh and Hady Mirza, winner of Singapore Idol 2. Previous host Daniel Ong was a local deejay. The show is produced by MediaCorp Studios and FremantleMedia Operations BV. The show was put on hiatus for a while after the second season and was replaced by another reality contest, Live The Dream. Season 3 premiered on Singapore's National Day 2009, exactly 5 years after the beginning of Season 1.

Contents

Season 1 (2004)

Season 1 of Singapore Idol premiered on the National Day of Singapore (9 August) in 2004. This season produced a few memorable, albeit notorious, performers during the audition round. They included Skyy Sia aka Bananaman, who wore a mask of watermelon and bananas; Kelvin Sim, who accompanied his very bad rendition of Fool's Garden's "Lemon Tree" with a dance that rivalled that of William Hung; and Patrick Khoo, who literally whispered George Michael's "Careless Whisper".

As with other shows in the Idol series, the viewers' votes decide who goes on to the next round. This has always produced controversial results in every singing competition. In the third preliminary round, Jerry Ong, whose singing was described by judge Florence Lian as being "constipated" and "weak", was voted through to the finals, beating favourites Beverly Lim Morata and Nur "Nana" Hasanah, both of whom were thought to be better singers. Candice Foo, who got in to the finals from the second week, withdrew from the contest at the last minute due to "financial difficulties". In a bigger upset, Jeassea K. Thyidor, considered by many to be a frontrunner in the competition, was eliminated in the very first round of the finals by a margin of 200 votes. This sparked a brief anti-Jerry campaign that lasted for the next 2 weeks until his elimination on October 15. In the final weeks of the Spectaculars, many speculated that Olinda Cho, one of the most consistent performers, would go on to the Grand Finals with Taufik Batisah, but Sylvester Sim, who had been in the Bottom 2/3 positions more than anyone else, made it through instead.

In the final showdown held at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on 1 December 2004, Taufik beat Sylvester with 62% of the votes to become the first Singapore Idol. The song both Taufik and Sylvester were required to sing was I Dream. Both received recording deals from Sony BMG on the same day. Taufik's album, Blessings, was released on 17 January 2005. Sylvester's album, Take Flight, was released on 8 April 2005. Another finalist, Maia Lee, also released an album titled Emotionally Advised on 20 August 2005. Olinda and Daphne would also release their debut alums in years to come. Sylvester was granted a release from Hype Records in mid 2006 due to personal problems.

Top 11 Weekly Song Themes

  • Top 11 theme: Parents' Choice
  • Top 9 theme: Rock 'N' Roll
  • Top 8 theme: Live Disco
  • Top 7 theme: Song by Favorite Singer
  • Top 6 theme: Big Band
  • Top 5 theme: R&B/Soul
  • Top 4 theme: Asian Pop
  • Top 3 theme: Movies and Musicals
  • Top 2 theme: Judges' Choice, Contestant's Choice and Winner's Single

Elimination Chart

Legend
Female Male Top 30 Wild Card Public Vote Wild Card Judges' Choice Withdrew Top 11 Winner
Bottom 4
Bottom 3
Bottom 2
Eliminated
Stage: Top 30 Wild
Card
Finals
Week: 27/8 3/9 10/9 17/9 1/10 8/102 15/10 22/10 29/10 5/11 12/11 19/11 1/12
Place Contestant Result
1
Taufik Batisah
2nd Btm 3
Winner
2
Sylvester Sim
Elim PV Btm 3 Btm 2 Btm 3 Btm 2
Runner-Up
3
Olinda Cho
1st Btm 4 Btm 3 Btm 2 Elim
4
Daphne Khoo
1st Btm 4 Elim
5 Leandra Veronica Rasiah 1st Btm 2 Btm 2 Elim
6
Christopher Michael Lee
2nd Btm 2 Btm 3 Elim
7
Maia Lee
Elim JC Elim
8
Jerry Ong
3rd Btm 3 Elim
9
David Yeo
3rd Elim
10-11
Jeassea K Thyidor
2nd Elim
Beverly Lim Morata
5th JC
12
Candice Foo
3rd WD1

1Candice Foo withdrew from the competition 1 day before the Top 12, citing "financial" reasons. Her departure was too last minute for any replacement to enter.

2The Top 11 elimination round featured a double elimination. Beverly Lim Morata was eliminated first, followed by Jeassea K Thyidor.

Season 2 (2006)

Auditions for season 2 were held on 11 February 2006 at *Scape in Orchard Road and was extended twice due to overwhelming response - 12 February at the same location and 19 February in Toa Payoh. The season premiered on 21 May with clips of the auditions. Dick Lee, Florence Lian and Ken Lim returned as judges while Douglas Oliverio was replaced by Jacintha Abisheganaden. After widespread criticism of his hosting abilities in season 1, Gurmit Singh was paired with Daniel Ong as co-hosts for season 2. Ex-contestant from Singapore Idol season 1 Daphne Khoo hosted Singapore Idol On Demand, an online subscription service that provided media downloads and exclusive footage of the show.

A day after the results for Piano Show #4 were announced, MediaCorp revealed that a computer glitch in the voting process had mistakenly sent Mathilda D'Silva into the top 12, instead of Nurul Maideen. Mathilda was placed in the wildcard show and was subsequently voted into the finals. Shortly after the technical glitch fiasco, frontrunner and wildcard contestant Meryl Joan Lee announced her withdrawal from the contest to focus on her studies.

The final 12 contestants were housed in Hangout @ Mount Emily, a budget hotel, for as long as they remained in the competition.

The Final Showdown for the title featured Jonathan Leong and Hady Mirza singing three songs each at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. Due to the frequency jam that took place in the first season, the finals was held on 2 separate days; the performance show on the 24th of September, and the results show on the 25th of September. One of the songs which both contestants sang was "You Give Me Wings", which became the winner's first single. On 25 September 2006, 26-year-old Hady Mirza was declared the winner of Singapore Idol 2006 with about 70% of the votes cast. Hady's self-titled debut album was released in mid November 2006. Hady would then go on to compete in Asian Idol and become the first Asian Idol in December 2007 in an upset victory.

Top 12 Weekly Song Themes

  • Top 12 theme: Parents' Choice
  • Top 11 theme: #1 Hits from 1996–2006
  • Top 10 theme: Classic Jazz
  • Top 9 theme: Songs by British Singers/Bands
  • Top 8 theme: Home, Family and Friends
  • Top 7 theme: Rock 'N' Roll
  • Top 6 theme: Asian Pop
  • Top 5 theme: R&B and Soul
  • Top 4 theme: Judges' Choice
  • Top 3 theme: Contestant's Favourites
  • Top 2 theme: Contestant's Choice from Judges' List, Spectaculars Encore & Winner's Single

Elimination Chart

Legend
Female Male Top 28 Wild Card Public Vote Wild Card Judges' Choice Top 12 Winner
Bottom 4
Bottom 3
Bottom 2
Eliminated
Stage: Top 28 Wild
Card
1
Finals
Week: 1/6 8/6 15/6 22/6 29/6 13/7 20/7 27/7 3/8 10/8 17/8 24/8 31/8 7/9 14/9 25/9
Place Contestant Result
1
Hady Mirza
1st Btm 2 Btm 2
Winner
2
Jonathan Leong
1st Btm 3 Btm 3 Btm 3 Btm 3 Btm 2
Runner-Up
3
Jasmine Tye
2nd Btm 3 Elim
4
Paul Twohill
2nd Btm 3 Btm 2 Btm 3 Btm 2 Elim
5
Joakim Gomez
2nd Btm 2 Elim
6
Nurul Maideen
1st Btm 2 Elim
7
Mathilda D'Silva
Elim 1st Elim
8
Rahimah Rahim
1st Btm 2 Elim
9
Jay Lim
3rd 2nd Btm 2 Elim
10
Emilee Kang
2nd Elim
11
Gayle Nerva
3rd 1st Elim
12
Norman Then
4th 2nd Elim
Wild
Card
Choy Siew Woon
Elim Elim
Geraldine Chua
4th
Primero Ang
Elim
Piano
Show 4
Annabelle Lu
Elim
Charmaine Palaez
Loh Wan Hua
Meryl Joan Lee
Piano
Show 3
Randy Chua
Elim
Roslan Muhamad
Tengku Adil Bahdar
Piano
Show 2
Melissa Loo
Elim
Milly Khoo
Piano
Show 1
James Tay
Elim
Janson Tay
Levin Ng
Terence Tay

1Meryl Joan Lee was originally offered a Wild Card slot, but she turned down the offer, officially eliminating herself from the competition.

Season 3 (2009)

On December 15, 2008, Mediacorp mentioned in its free-circulating-paper, TODAY, that Singapore Idol Season 3 would be one of the new programmes for 2009. The third installment comes three years after the previous.

Registration for Singapore Idol 3 officially started on 1 May 2009, and the season premiered right after the National Day Parade segment on August 9, 2009, 8.30 PM on Channel 5.

Returning host Gurmit Singh co-hosted with Singapore Idol 2 winner Hady Mirza, replacing Season 2's Daniel Ong. The returning judges were Dick Lee, Florence Lian and Ken Lim, with Jacintha Abisheganaden leaving the show.

The Top 100 were put up at Orchid Country Club for a week of intense auditions and training. They were then reduced to a Top 76 for a group round, Top 54 for an Idol first where the contestants write and compose a duet and perform it, then the Top 40 of sang-off at Caldecott Hill. Top 24 consisted of half the contestants (6 guys and 6 girls) performing each night on 2 separate Piano Shows for a spot in the Top 12. The Results Show was screened 30 minutes after the Performance Show. Voting began at the start of the Piano round, and closed at 9.45 PM (later extended to 10 PM and finally to 10.15 PM). The Top 3 public vote-getters, regardless of gender, advanced together with 3 of the judges choices per episode. Coincidentally, all the contestants who made it to the next round by public voting were male. There was no Wildcard round, unlike the previous two seasons.

After the Top 12 was revealed during the second Piano Show results segment, the judges announced that Mae Sta Maria would join the 12 and form a surprise Top 13. The season has received mixed to negative feedback from fans due to the new rulings (absence of the Wildcard round, lack of a gender cap and voting at the start of the show rather than at the end).

It was revealed on 14 September that MJ Kuok, who had gotten into the finals by public voting after Piano Show 1, had withdrawn from the competition on September 11, citing "personal reasons". The news was confirmed in 8 Days Magazine. He was then replaced by Nurul Huda from Piano Show 1. It was revealed that she had received the next highest number of public votes out of all the other eliminated contestants.[1]

This season also introduced the "Judges' Save", similar to American Idol Season 8, which could be used only when the judges unanimously decide to save an eliminated contestant up to and until the Top 5. The save was ultimately not used, when the judges decided not to save Faizal Isa, who was eliminated in 5th place. In retrospect, except for the Top 13 Results Show, where Gurmit explicitly asked the judges if they wanted to save Syltra Lee, the judges' save was hardly, if only briefly, mentioned.

Another first for the franchise was a surprise non-elimination round during the Top 4 Results Show on 25 November, similar to American Idol Season 6, although, unlike the American version where the bottom group was never revealed, Charles and Tabitha were revealed to be the bottom two.

The order for the final performance show was decided by a coin toss immediately after the Top 3 elimination show. Sylvia won and decided to go first. The Grand Finale, unlike Season 2, was not a two-night event. The performance was aired at 8PM and the results show at 10PM. It was held at the Singapore Indoor Stadium with a full capacity of 12,000. The special guest was international recording artist Charice where she performed 3 songs which included her first single Note to God. The Singapore Idol stage will be torn down from the MediaCorp studio permanently thereafter.

This season was abound with controversy. During the Top 8 and 7, while the judges claimed both nights as "girls' nights", the girls filled up the bottom groups. This resulted in extensive media promotion for the females left in the competition, and the idea of a female idol was fueled by both the judges and the episodic trailers. However, the last male standing in the Final 3, Sezairi Sezali, still ultimately won, receiving 61% of the votes cast in the finale. While Sylvia became the first female to make it to the finals, Sezairi's win makes all three Singapore Idol winners young malay males.

Post-Idol

Of the thirteen semi-finalists, only the Top 3 contestants have continued to remain in the public eye. Sezairi Sezali and Sylvia Ratonel have released their debut studio albums, Take Two and Sylvia Ratonel respectively. Singles were released from the album and have made it into the Top 10 on the 987FM Top 20 Chart, with the best-performing single being Sylvia Ratonel's "It's Raining" (it peaked at #3). While Tabitha Nauser has not released an album, she collaborated with international artists Sean Kingston, Steve Appleton, Jessica Mauboy and Jody Williams on the official theme song to the 2010 Youth Olympics, "Everyone". Nauser was given the opening lines of the first verse, and her vocals can be heard harmonizing with the other artists in the choruses and bridge. The song was released as a CD single, which included an acoustic version of "Everyone" performed by Nauser alone. Successful airplay of the song made "Everyone" reach #1 on the 987FM Top 20 Chart, making Tabitha Nauser the first Singaporean vocalist, at least in recent years, to achieve that feat. "Everyone" remained on the top spot for 2 weeks.

Top 13 Weekly Song Themes

Top 13 - Chart Toppers

Bottom Three: Fathin Amira, Malaque Mahdaly & Syltra Lee
Bottom Two: Malaque Mahdaly & Syltra Lee
Eliminated: Syltra Lee

Top 12 - The Year I Was Born

Bottom Three: Justin Jap, Malaque Mahdaly & Tabitha Nauser
Bottom Two: Justin Jap & Malaque Mahdaly
Eliminated: Justin Jap

Top 11 - An Asian Feast

Bottom Four: Farhan Shah, Sezairi Sezali, Sylvia Ratonel & Tabitha Nauser
Bottom Two: Farhan Shah & Sezairi Sezali
Eliminated: Farhan Shah

Top 10 - A Tribute to Michael Jackson

Bottom Three: Charles "Stitch" Wong, Malaque Mahdaly & Nurul Huda
Eliminated: Nurul Huda

Top 9 - For Someone Special

Eliminated: Fathin Amira

Top 8 - Mambo Mania

Bottom Three: Malaque Mahdaly, Sylvia Ratonel & Tabitha Nauser
Bottom Two: Malaque Mahdaly & Sylvia Ratonel
Eliminated: Malaque Mahdaly

Top 7 - My Folks Love This

Bottom Three: Charles "Stitch" Wong, Mae Sta Maria & Sylvia Ratonel
Bottom Two: Mae Sta Maria & Sylvia Ratonel
Eliminated: Mae Sta Maria

Top 6 - Killing Me Softly (With This Song)

Bottom Two: Charles "Stitch" Wong & Duane Ho
Eliminated: Duane Ho

Top 5 - You Asked For It

Bottom Three: Charles "Stitch" Wong, Faizal Isa & Tabitha Nauser
Eliminated: Faizal Isa

Top 4 (Week 1) - A Song For A Cause

  • Sezairi Sezali - "Where Is The Love?" (The Black Eyed Peas)
  • Tabitha Nauser - "No Matter"
  • Charles "Stitch" Wong - "One" (U2)
  • Sylvia Ratonel - "I'll Be Here"

Bottom Two: Charles "Stitch" Wong & Tabitha Nauser
Eliminated: None

Top 4 (Week 2) - Step Up & Dance!

Bottom Two: Charles "Stitch" Wong & Sezairi Sezali
Eliminated: Charles "Stitch" Wong

Top 3 - Judges' Choice

Eliminated: Tabitha Nauser

Top 2 - Grand Finale

  • Sylvia Ratonel - "Touched By An Angel"
  • Sezairi Sezali - "Touched By An Angel"

Runner Up: Sylvia Ratonel
Singapore Idol: Sezairi Sezali
Host: Hady Mirza (Winner of Season 2)

Elimination Chart

Legend
Female Male Top 24 Public Vote Judges' Choice Withdrew Returned As Replacement Top 13 Winner
Bottom 4
Bottom 3
Bottom 2
Eliminated
Stage: Top 24 Finals
Week:
2/9
9/9
23/9
30/9
7/10
14/10
21/103
28/10
4/11
11/11
18/114
25/115
2/12
8/126
27/12
Place Contestant Result
1 Sezairi Sezali JC Btm 2 Btm 2 Winner
2 Sylvia Ratonel JC Btm 4 Btm 2 Btm 2 Runner-Up
3 Tabitha Nauser JC Btm 3 Btm 4 Btm 3 Btm 3 Btm 2 Elim
4 Charles "Stitch" Wong 1st Btm 3 Btm 3 Btm 2 Btm 3 Btm 2 Elim
5 Faizal Isa 2nd Elim
6 Duane Ho 3rd Elim
7 Mae Sta Maria JC Elim
8 Malaque Mahdaly JC Btm 2 Btm 2 Btm 3 Elim
9 Fathin Amira JC Btm 3 Elim
10 Nurul Huda Elim RP1 Elim
11 Farhan Shah 3rd Elim
12 Justin Jap 1st Elim
13 Syltra Lee JC Elim
14 MJ Kuok 2nd WD2
Piano
Show 2
Benjamin Chow Elim
Charlene Torres-Tan
Gabrielle Ferdinands
Jonathan Cheok
Samantha Lee
Piano
Show 1
Douglas Wong Elim
Frances Maria
Jannah Shaharuddin
Ryan Lee
Theodore Teow

1Nurul Huda was originally eliminated in the first Piano Show. She was called back after Top 13 finalist MJ Kuok withdrew.

2MJ Kuok was originally voted into the Top 13 by the public, but withdrew, citing "personal reasons".

3Gurmit did not specifically reveal the Bottom 3 for this week. Instead, he randomly announced the safe contestants one by one. When it was down to Mae Sta Maria, Charles "Stitch" Wong and Fathin Amira, he eliminated Amira directly.

4Gurmit first revealed Charles "Stitch" Wong and Tabitha Nauser to be in the "unsafe" group. When it was down to Faizal Isa, Gurmit eliminated him directly.

5No one was eliminated because it was a surprise non-elimination round. Votes were carried over to the next week and the one with the lowest combined total (Charles "Stitch" Wong) was eliminated.

6The Top 3 show was brought forward a day due to the opening ceremony of the 25th Southeast Asian Games on 9 December.

Criticism

Singapore Idol has been criticized for a lack of talented contestants, the most prominent of which being Joakim Gomez in Season 2, who was dubbed the Sanjaya Malakar of Singapore for remaining in the live shows over an extended period of time even after consistent criticism from the judges. The third season of Singapore Idol was particularly noted for an insupportable budget. Live performances relied solely on solo performances by the contestants, without any performance choreography, backup dancers, pyrotechnics or other spectacular theatrical effects.

The show has also produced a low number of recording artistes, as well as artistes that have little influence over Singaporean pop culture, largely due to the predominance of American pop music and K-Pop.

References

  1. ^ "Nurul replaces MJ in Top 13". MediaCorp TV Singapore Pte Ltd. http://mediacorptv.sg/en/buzzdetail/EDC090915-0000215. Retrieved September 15, 2009. 

External links


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