Shermaine Yeo
Many claim that this year’s Singapore Idol has the most talented contenders so far in Singapore’s Idol history. After the gruelling auditions, boot camp and theatre shows, it’s now down to 24.
UrbanWire was invited to meet with the bunch of young and bubbly Idol hopefuls on Thursday, who revealed that what you see is not all there is. It’s been a journey of tears and drama till now on the show, but the Top 24 say that all the fun they had at the Orchid Country Club wasn’t shown.
21-year-old Jannah Shaharuddin admitted that “the struggle is real”, and MJ Kuok, also 21, acknowledged that “the tears are definitely real”.
“I think some of the rivalries have been played up over-the-top,” he added.
The room of contestants were also quick to comment that they were laughing and singing..
“While waiting for the judges, we were jumping around, but they only showed our nervous faces.”
It seems as though the dramatic moments will decrease in upcoming episodes as the hopefuls nodded in agreement with MJ who said, “Those were the early stages and I think the relationships of everyone here have developed a lot more now.”
As the competition heats up in the next round, these young contenders have to impress not only the judges but the audience as well. In the next 2 episodes to be aired on Sep 2 and Sep 9, the 24 will vie for a place in the Top 12.
The Idol hopefuls were randomly split into 2 groups of 12 and will perform in The Piano Show Part 1 and The Piano Show Part 2 respectively. As they go head to head with each other, UrbanWire quizzed the 2 groups on who they think their biggest competitor is. Find out who they think has the voice, the looks, the package, the hair, and who looks like Megan Fox and Najip Ali.
The Piano Show Part 1
Jannah Shaharuddin:
“Vocals-wise it’s Frances, package wise it’s Tabitha.”
Syltra Lee:
“Tabitha has the voice and the looks and if I base it on talent, Charles would be the one to step on.”
Douglas Wong:
“Charles. We have very similar styles, so there’s very much direct competition and even more since we’ve been friends for 8 years, the rivalry is more intense.”
Charles “Stitch” Wong:
“Syltra, because she wants to step on me. For voice and package, I think Farhan is very good.”
Malaque Mahdaly :
“Voice wise, it’s Frances, Nurul and Syltra. Package wise it’s Tabitha and Farhan.”
Ryan Lee:
“Sezairi has a very very nice tone.”
Nurul Huda:
“Tabitha, she has everything, the voice, looks, everything is there. For the guys, it’s Theodore, when he sings it’s very effortless, and it’s very natural.”
MJ Kuok:
“Syltra is very, very talented and the way she puts herself across when she sings is very original and that’s something very unique about her. Theodore has the whole package, he’s very talented and he’s got looks.”
Theodore Teow:
“Mae from the other group, she has a really emotive way of singing, it really touches your heart. MJ because he has truckloads of talent. He’s a singer and a songwriter, he does all kinds of stuff and that’s the way an idol should be.”
Frances Maria:
“Syltra, she’s a great musician, she’s a great singer and she’s very likeable.”
Tabitha Nauser:
“Syltra. I think she’s really original, the way she sings, she puts her own style and you know it’s her immediately. I think she’s very talented. Farhan, because I think he has the whole package.”
Farhan Shah:
“Tabitha has the whole package. She looks like Megan Fox and I mean guys love Megan Fox. She can sing really really well. She sings like Beyonce. Syltra. I love the hair. People remember the hair, the girl with the blonde streak. She has a strong sense of identity and she can really sing.Sezairi, he’s got a really good tone and he looks like Najip Ali.”
The Piano Show Part 2
Most of the contestants in the second group had said it was too early to pinpoint a major competitor right now, but the question became an amusing topic of prediction for the winner.
Mae Sta Maria:
“Farhan. He looks like Zac Efron, plus he can sing. If I was a young 15-year-old girl, I would vote for him.”
Sezairi:
“I’m not a young 15-year-old girl and I would vote for him (Farhan).”
Charlene Torres-Tan:
“I would say Farhan and Amira.”
The group then went on to discuss their predictions for this season based on some other factors. Some commented and said that in the past 2 seasons of American Idol, the winners were people who could play the guitar, so contestants like Syltra were named. Another remarked that the winners of the past 2 seasons of Singapore Idol have been Malay, thus this time, it will be a Malay as well.
Some of the girls also guessed that a girl should win this year. In response to that, Sezairi Sezali, 22, said, “so my vote is on Mae”.
The hopefuls seemed like a Singapore Idol happy family and even had praises for Fathin Amira, 17, who was not present due to a fever. “She’s an awesome singer, she’s our chilli padi. Amira has no airs, that’s the one thing about her, she’s very humble.”
Indeed, this season is full of talent, probably brought about by changes such as allowing contestants to play instruments during a performance, but it’s still anybody’s game right now.