Malaysian and Singaporean artistes perform on a common platform

The 4th Muzika Ekstravaganza with the theme Seasons of Love staged at Darul Makmur Auditorium in the Sultan Ahmad Shah Broadcasting Complex in Kuantan was once again the focus of music lovers.

A total of 25 guest artistes comprising comedians, singers and pop groups from Malaysia and Singapore put up a grand performance that enthralled more than 1,000 spectators at the auditorium recently.

Popular local entertainer Intan Nor Saina and Singaporean Khairudin Saharom, who were the masters of ceremony, led the two-hour show aired live via RTM1 and Singapore TV.

Malaysians artistes Zehra Zambri, Hazami, Sarah Raissuddin, Meet Uncle Hussain, Adeep The Fabulous Cat, Amylea Azizan, Izwan Pilus, Altimet, Rodi Kristal, comedians Sathiya and Angelina Tan, choir group Prima Chorus and dance troupe Swatari all received loud applause for their acts.

Singaporean artistes Hady Mirza, Hyrul Anuar, Maiya Rahman, Azyza, Rancour, Sleeq, Arif Samsudin and the Shuko Dancers added glamour the show.

by NIK NAIZI HUSIN

Hady on Strong bias persists against HIV victims Concert

SINGAPOREANS are aware about HIV, but they are less accepting of people with the disease, according to a survey released by the Health Promotion Board (HPB).

1,768 respondents were surveyed. They were divided into three age-groups: 18 to 29, 30 to 49, and 50 to 69.

Out of the respondents, 314 were considered to be at-risk.

This group consists of:

• Men who have sex with men
• People with multiple sexpartners
• People who engage in commercial or non-commercial sex, like one-night stands

According to the results, four in five Singaporeans have a high knowledge level of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (Aids) prevention.

But only about one in five said they would share a meal with a person with HIV.

Only one in five said they would buy food from a hawker with HIV.

When it comes to sharing a meal with a person with HIV, those aged 18 to 29 were most accepting, and 27 per cent from this group were willing to do so.

Only 16 per cent of those aged 50-69 were willing to do the same.

In terms of educational level, those with university degrees were most accepting of sharing a meal with someone whom they knew was HIV-positive.

About 36 per cent were willing to do so, compared to about 17 per cent of those with an educational level of PSLE and below.

Latest figures from the Ministry of Health show that there were 3,483 Singaporeans with HIV as of end 2007 .

To commemorate World Aids day on 1 Dec, HPB is organising an edu-tainment concert in Fort Canning Park on 29 Nov called Love Amplified. Performers include Stefanie Sun and Singapore Idol Hady Mirza among others.

For more information, please visit www.loveamp.sg.

Bad reputations on Hady Mirza's ex-girlfriend

She said that it affected her career especially with the media attention on her case.

A celebrity catfight in a bar cannot fail to grab public attention and the case was chronicled in Malaysian newspapers.

And Fazura was often shown as a wild party girl.

She said she decided to lie low for a while and as a result her star dimmed.

When she was charged, the Pahang-born model-turned-actress and former MTV host was a rising star.

Fazura made a winning debut in 2004 after her maiden role in the film Bicara Hati (The Heart Decides) won for her the Most Promising Actress Award at the 17th Malaysia Film Festival.

She found popularity playing Putri in the 2005 film Gol & Gincu (Lipsticks and Goalposts) - about futsal-playing young women - that spun off into the popular television series.

She was also hosting MTV Asia's show Boom showcasing bands from Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia until last year when she left to concentrate on her acting career.

Fazura is probably best known among Singaporeans as Asian Idol Hady Mirza's ex-girlfriend. Their one-year relationship hit the limelight last year.

While both initially denied they were dating, they came clean after their break-up last year.

Fazura said she is thankful she had an army of supporters throughout the courtroom saga.

Gol & Gincu's co-producer, Ms Lina Tan of production company Red Films, told a Malaysian entertainment magazine, StarMag, that because of who Fazura is, the industry tends to judge her more harshly.

She said: 'The thing in this industry is, when you are female, young and beautiful, people judge you more.

'People look at her, she is gorgeous and beautiful, and so people just assume she will also be arrogant. But when you get to know her, she is warm, smart and funny.'

Singapore Day goes to Melbourne joining Dick Lee, Asian Idol Hady Mirza and hawkers from Food Republic

Phua Chu Kang says he has never been to Australia, but all that is about to change. Singapore Day 2008 will be held at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne, Australia, a 12,000-capacity arena which recently hosted opera singer Dame Kiri Te Kanawa and music legend Santana.

Come Oct 4, the popular TV character will be part of a 200-strong Singaporean entourage that will be flying to Melbourne to entertain and feed some 6,000 Singaporeans living, working and studying there.

Joining him will be singer-composer Dick Lee, Asian Idol Hady Mirza and hawkers from Food Republic, who will be whipping up Singaporean favourites like chicken rice, char kway teow and ice kachang for the hungry masses.

The Singlish-spewing contractor with the huge mole and curly hairdo appeared in character at the press conference on Tuesday for the launch of Singapore Day 2008, an annual event which aims to connect Singaporeans overseas to home.

This year's gathering will be held at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl, a 12,000-capacity arena which recently hosted opera singer Dame Kiri Te Kanawa and music legend Santana.

The event has taken about a year to organise and costs $3 million.

This is the second time the Overseas Singaporean Unit (OSU) is organising Singapore Day. The inaugural event was held at New York City's Central Park last April and attracted 6,000 Singaporeans, most of whom were living in the United States.

Australia was chosen because it has one of the four largest Singaporean populations overseas, together with the US, China and the United Kingdom.

And Melbourne got the nod over the other major Australian city Sydney because it has a slightly larger Singaporean population - and response from the Singaporeans there was also more enthusiastic, said OSU director Roy Quek.

Hady Mirza performs at Hari Raya festivities

The streets of Kampong Glam exploded in an array of multi-coloured lights spelling out festive greetings yesterday, when Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng launched this year's Hari Raya light-up.

The light-up is part of month-long activities organised by Jalan Besar GRC grassroots bodies to mark Hari Raya Puasa on Oct 1. The festival celebrates the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, which starts on Sept 1 and ends on Sept 30.

The Kampong Glam light-up, themed as Hari Raya @ The City, will last until Oct 5.

In conjunction with the light-up, a 21/2 hour concert pulling in 2,000 people took place last night. Asian Idol Hady Mirza and groups from Jalan Besar GRC will performs at the events.

Throughout the month, the neighbourhood will buzz with activities such as the nightly breaking of the fast at the Sultan Mosque in Mascat Street, a food-and-goods bazaar along Kandahar Street and performances by members of community clubs at the Malay Heritage Centre every weekend.

Hady Mirza on Sense of Home

What: Sense Of Home is the first local English drama series filmed entirely overseas. It is a collection of four stories about Singaporeans abroad living, working, travelling ... or simply lost.

Follow, for example, the adventure of Marcus and Caroline, two Singaporeans long-settled in Siem Reap who have an awakening of sorts when they are trapped in a rural Cambodian village after an accident.

The series features popular local faces like Rui En, Fiona Xie, Edmund Chen, Andrea De Cruz and Asian Idol Hady Mirza, acting alongside local actors from each of the foreign countries.

Mercy Relief upbeat Singaporeans features Singapore Idol Hady Mirza

One of Singapore's largest humanitarian organisations, Mercy Relief, is optimistic that Singaporeans will continue to give generously.

This is despite the recent scandal affecting Renci Hospital and Medicare Centre, one of the country's biggest charities.Following its numerous relief efforts overseas, Mercy Relief is now turning its attention back home.

Mercy Relief received donations worth over US$700,000 from Singaporeans for Myanmar's Cyclone Nargis and Sichuan earthquake disasters. Every cent, it said, went towards the relief efforts in Myanmar and China.

It also said it is confident Singaporeans will continue to be charitable.T K Udairam, chairman of Mercy Relief, said: "I think the population is able to differentiate between what the money is going for and what some of the leaders are doing a bit out of the way.

"I really think we have not been affected that way, because we have been very clear that every bit of money we have, we give out to charity. So it has not been an issue." The organisation also limits each chairman's term to two two-year periods.

On whether the prosecution of Renci's former CEO for fraud will make donors wary of giving, Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Zainul Abidin Rasheed feels the impact will be short-lived.

He said: "I suspect it will have an effect on Singapore minds... When you have charitable organizations subject to scrutiny and investigations, people will tend to be a bit cautious.

"But we see also, in the case of NKF (National Kidney Foundation), people are now coming round, responding to it - because people know there are a lot of people needing help, needing that touch of mercy, needing that touch of graciousness."

He was speaking on the sidelines of the launch of Mercy Relief's latest campaign to promote a more grateful and gracious society in Singapore.

The Senior Minister of State noted it would take some time for Singaporeans to be truly gracious as it is not their second nature.

The campaign features Singapore Idol Hady Mirza as its ambassador.

Hady Mirza performs at Ministries mark Singapore’s 43rd birthday

Civil servants in the various ministries across Singapore started their morning by marking the nation’s 43rd birthday through songs and performances.

Over at the Istana, President S R Nathan, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong assembled at the front lawn, where they were joined by hundreds of public servants working in the Prime Minister’s Office.

Two performers at this year’s National Day Parade, Hady Mirza and Joi Chua, also serenaded the Singapore leaders.

They belted out this year’s National Day theme song, "Shine for Singapore".

Hady Mirza will Shine For Singapore at NDP

Singapore Idol Hady Mirza has scored yet another first in his showbiz career.

The 28-year-old winner of last year's Asian Idol and 2006 Singapore Idol winner will be singing this year's National Day Parade (NDP) theme song in English, Shine For Singapore, composed by Benny Wong. Singer Joi Chua will be singing the Mandarin version of the song.

For the first time, designer Frederick Lee has taken charge of the costumes for the parade itself as well.

Said Hady on singing the theme song at an NDP: "It's a dream come true. I'm very honoured, very proud."

In an interview with my paper, he described how he would watch the parade with his family back at the Padang.

Said Hady: "In the past, I got to watch singers like Stefanie Sun singing the theme song.

"(Singing it myself) is something I've always wanted to do even before Singapore Idol, it's an event when the whole of Singapore will be watching."

Hady is also recording his next album, produced by Hype Records. It is due to hit stores late next month or in September.

He will also star in a new Channel 5 show, A Sense Of Home, later this year.

Hardy Mirza

A perfect pitch, a mesmerizing voice coupled with the boy-next-door charms… these qualities epitomize Hady Mirza.

Exuding an incomparable charismatic aura, Hady has proven himself worthy of garnering the title of Singapore Idol 2006. In addition to a self-titled debut album that has already hit platinum status within 1 month of sales, SingPost has also recognized his achievements by commissioning a set of self-image stamps for him. Rather than bathe in past glory, the singer has been actively self-penning for his second album, hoping to inspire the audience with his music.

Not forgetting the less fortunate, Hady, demonstrating a personal resiliency equal to that of his professional life, has also became a very public advocate for charity through involvement in events for beneficiaries including MILK, Minds etc.

Hardy Mirza the ASIAN IDOL!

The result is OUT. Hardy Mirza is the 1st ASIAN Idol! Is so surreal. My jaw literally dropped when the result was announced. He has gone a long way.. since his days in Temasek Poly. I nicknamed him "bag kuning" back then. He was the shy, decent guy carrying a bright yellow havesack. I remembered him liking this particular gal... but that is another story.

None of the judges rooted for him. Nobody expected him to win. Shame to say, though I voted for him, I wasn't expecting for him to grab the title either. Is just so unbelievable. I mean he was against other big countries with millions of population. His chance did seem slim against those giants. But I'm glad he persevere and not deter by this very fact and went on to compete for the title. He sang and won the hearts of many.

Hardy Mirza, u make Singapore proud. Congratulation, "bag kuning"!

Hady Mirza is the first Asian Idol

Twenty-seven year old Hady Mirza becomes the first Asian Idol when he bested five other ‘idol’ contestants held Sunday, December 16, 2007 in Jakarta, Indonesia.

He sang ‘Beautiful Day’ by U2 and Singaporean song ‘Berserah’ during the performance show a night before which earned him the ticket to his way to being the first Asian Idol.

Hardy’s victory was, in a way, unexpected especially that neither of the judges present during the results show predicted him to win in Asian Idol 2007.

Favorites to win were Mau Marcelo of the Philippines and Mike Mohede of Indonesia.

At any rate though, Hady and the other five contestants were all deserving to win. That’s why they’re called “Idol” in their respective countries.

Why Jaclyn did not win Asian Idol title?

There are several reasons why Malaysian Idol Jaclyn Victor did not make it at the Asian Idol Contest.

The first of these is her habit, which is a common Malaysian habit, of dragging words rather than singing them out straight.

Her second setback was her over-glamorous outfits. It would have been better had she dressed in a sarong kebaya or baju kurung rather than colourful outfits, which could have turned many off. The third would be lack of home support, which means that the local media did not promote or support her prior to the show.

The fourth, Malaysians have the tendency to look at who the person is before getting hooked up.

Hopefully, in future, the media, notably local TV, will be more supportive.

It was this factor that made Singapore Idol Hardy Mirza a success.

He had his nation behind him, and when you add the second vote, he made it big.

Jaclyn could have made it with local support.

'Are you kidding me?'

WHAT a jaw-dropper.

Singapore Idol Hady Mirza winning regional singing competition Asian Idol was an upset victory that not even his biggest supporter could've expected, especially since he was up against a field of contenders who boasted more powerful voices and compelling personalities.

But no one seemed more stupefied than the dark horse himself.

Right after the result was announced last night at the television event held at Jakarta International Expo, the 27-year-old R&B crooner looked like he'd been hit by a truck.

He immediately collapsed on his knees and covered his face with his hands.

He finally regained his composure and got back on his feet as the other Idols' reps congratulated him.

Teary-eyed and still-shocked Hady was seen mouthing the words 'Are you kidding me?' to them.

Philippines' Mau Marcello

We have the smallest population compared to Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and India, yet Hady somehow managed to gain the majority of millions of SMS votes cast from the six participating countries during last night's results show.

Besides bragging rights, he also pocketed an all-expenses-paid round-the-world trip on business class.

Just minutes before his name was announced, the panel of regional judges was predicting hot favourites like Indonesia's Mike Mohede, the Philippines' Mau Marcello and Malaysia's Jaclyn Victor to emerge tops.

Indian judge Anu Malik even named Hady when he said 'upsets happen, so we have to be prepared for that'.

On Saturday night's performance show, it seemed as if Hady was at the bottom of the totem pole as he didn't exactly bowl the judges over.

He belted out the Malay song Berserah and U2's Beautiful Day.

Malaysia's Paul Moss sniped about his first song: 'You capture people's hearts with your looks and performance, not so much with your voice... You make (singing) look difficult while the others make it look easy. Voice-wise, you will struggle against the rest.'

For Beautiful Day, a still-unimpressed Moss paid a backhanded compliment: 'You're almost too good-looking for the song. It needs a real rock attitude, and your voice ran out of power and range at the peaks.'

Malaysia's Jaclyn Victor

Only Singapore judge Ken Lim, director of Hype Records and Hady's boss, was kind - for once.

He said: '...you kept it real and sincere - you finally justified being Singapore's idol.'

For Hady's second song, he encouraged: 'You look like a singer and you sound like a winner... The Asian Idol is going to be someone with the most appeal rather than the best singer.'

As always, it looks like Ken was right.

 

Technorati Tags: Hady Mirza,Asian Idol,Singapore,Jaclyn Victor,Mau Marcelo,Amu Malik

The Electric New Paper, Singapore - The Electric New Paper News

The rise and rise of Hady Mirza

SINGAPORE : It was a win that brought him to his knees, but if you look at the road to success for Hady Mirza, you can see the signposts that brought him there.

He wasn't pegged as one of the male favourites but the 27-year-old from Singapore emerged as winner of the Asian Idol competition that pitted six Idol winners from India, Indonesia, Vietnam, The Philippines, Singapore and Malaysia last Sunday.

"Did you think I would win? I didn't. Not even for a moment," he told TODAY on Monday morning. "This is not for my personal glory, but for Singapore."

Hady's journey to this "Singapore glory" began as a schoolboy at Beng Wan Primary School. Born Jan 28, 1980, his earliest musical memory is of himself as a seven-year-old singing Toto's I'll Be Over You during the 10-minute walk to his Serangoon Road school. And at his grandmother's house, he'd be "flanked by a guitar-wielding uncle on one side and a Madonna-crazy auntie on the other".

The Siglap Secondary School alumnus got his first taste of performing when he joined hip-hop groups while in National Service, but that experience did not last.

While still in NS, he hooked up with Taufik Batisah and fellow local artiste Adib for a set at Hard Rock Café, which he has described as "one of the most memorable gigs I've ever done".

But it was only after his NS stint in 2002 that things started rolling. He auditioned — and got — the singer's spot with Raw Energy, the resident band at the now-defunct Manchester United-themed Devil's Bar.

"Taufik also came to audition," recalled Dennis Foo, the man behind Devil's Bar, and now the CEO of St James Power Station. "Of the two, I had to pick one, so I picked Hady.

"Last year, when Hady won Singapore Idol, he SMSed me, it was still 'Thanks, boss'," joked Foo.

"Now it's just 'Thanks, Dennis!' He's easygoing, you know? When you call someone, 'a real cool guy' — that's Hady. He's soft-spoken, he won't talk too much, but he delivers everything vocally onstage."

Hady showcased his stuff at Devil's Bar six nights a week, wowing the crowds with a diverse range — from sweet soulful sounds, to all-out rockin' tunes — before the opportunity to appear on Singapore Idol 2 came early last year.

His emphatic victory — he garnered about 70 per cent of the votes — led to a debut eponymous album, which achieved platinum status in four days and won him Most Popular Artiste (Singapore) and Most Popular Song (Singapore) at Anugerah Planet Muzik 2007, a yearly Malay music award show that celebrates music from Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.

"Singapore Idol changed me a little bit, but I try to go through my day as normally as possible," he said.
"Normal" includes spending as much time as possible with his family.

"Most of the time we do normal family stuff, like makan (eat), just be together."

He used to help out with the family stall at Geylang Serai during Ramadan, selling roasted meat.

"We would start roasting the chickens from five in the afternoon until 2am. I can say that for the entire 30 days of fasting, my body reeked of smoke."

But of course, those days are far behind. Where does he go from here?

"I hope that one day, Hady will hold his own concert in the Indoor Stadium," said Foo. "If you see 8,000 or 10,000 people turn up for Hady Mirza then you'll know he's really made it."

Technorati Tags: Hady Mirza,Asian Idol,Singapore

Channelnewsasia.com

Singaporean is first ‘Asian Idol’

MANILA, Philippines—Singaporean Hady Mirza’s “Asian Idol” win on Sunday night has been described as a “surprise” or “upset” victory.

The 27-year-old bested five other “Idols” from around the region, including Filipina Mau Marcelo, in the singing tilt held in Jakarta.

Apart from bragging rights as the first Asian Idol, Mirza won a world tour.

He told Channel News Asia on Monday, “Winning was never on my mind … especially since I was up against contestants with better vocal [skills]. I just wanted to do Singapore proud.”

During performance night on Saturday, judge Paul Moss of Malaysia put Mirza to task for his strained performance. In contrast, Marcelo was praised by the judges—as were Indonesia’s Mike Mohede and Malaysia’s Jaclyn Victor.

Marcelo’s rendition of “Ako ang Nagwagi” even merited a standing ovation from judge Anu Malik, a leading Bollywood music director.

Marcelo, Vietnam’s Phuong Vy and Mohede were consistently in the top three of an online poll conducted in the competition’s official website. Mirza was often in the bottom two, along with India’s Abhijeet Sawant.

So why did Mirza win?

One explanation is offered by Perci Intalan, head of Creative and Entertainment Production of ABC 5, which aired the contest locally: “Hady must’ve gotten more of that crucial second vote outside his home country.”

As a rule, text senders were asked to choose two contestants, to level the playing field and prevent hometown votes from influencing the outcome.

Terra Daffon, ABC 5 senior vice president for Corporate Affairs, agreed: “Perhaps that was what happened. Voters paired strong candidates with weak ones like Singapore and India who were trailing in the online survey.”

Daffon further speculated: “It’s possible that the voting glitches we experienced here (Manila) happened everywhere except Singapore where the voting was processed.”

Text votes in Manila were delayed by eight hours and the delays continued until Sunday—night of the results show.

Intalan explained that the glitch was caused by “a clog in the telephone companies.”

On Saturday’s show, Singaporean judge Ken Lim asserted that the first “Asian Idol” should possess “commercial appeal.”

On Monday, Lim reiterated on Channel News Asia that “looks and voice” had won the title for Mirza.

As for Marcelo?

She seems unruffled.

She was more thrilled about working with “American Idol” champ Taylor Hicks, a guest on finals night. “He’s a Richard Gomez lookalike!”

Technorati Tags: Hady Mirza,Asian Idol,Singapore

Singaporean is first ‘Asian Idol’ - INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos

Did Hady win by SMS voting FLUKE?

WAS he a default winner who merely got lucky due to tactical voting?

Barely a day after Singapore's Hady Mirza sent shockwaves throughout the region by clinching the Asian Idol title, netizens are already raining on his victory parade.

Their theory?

That the 27-year-old R&B crooner only won because voters from the other five participating countries had adopted a tactical plan which eventually backfired.

Here's how: With one SMS, voters must choose two different countries to ensure fairness and minimise any potential national bias - a system that inadvertently benefitted Hady.

According to many postings on the official Asian Idol forum and MediaCorp's forum, people might have cast the first vote for their home idol, and the second vote to the one who's the least threatening, most unlikely to win and from the smallest country - to avoid improving the chances of the closest rival.

Hence, Singapore's Hady.

One netizen who went by the name of Van Helsing wrote: 'Hady was mostly selected as the second choice. It could be due to either the voters really liking him (apart from their own home idol) or he is not a threat (to their own home idol).

'Either way, the voting system has certainly worked to Hady's advantage.'

Hady took the title on Sunday night when he defeated five other Idol winners from Indonesia (Mike Mohede), Malaysia (Jaclyn Victor), the Philippines (Mau Marcelo), Vietnam (Phuong Vy) and India (Abhijeet Sawant).

The regional singing competition was televised live from Jakarta.

Despite being considered one of the weaker singers and hardly the judges' favourite, Hady managed to garner the lion's share of the almost two million SMS votes cast.

And therein lies the ongoing debate about how he pipped outstanding powerhouse singers like Jaclyn, Mike and Mau.

Did he really have the most mass appeal? Or was it all a fluke?

Hady's supporters laud his charm, good looks, X-factor and marketability, insisting he possesses the 'total package' and is 'star material'.

On the other side of the spectrum, adjectives like 'unbelievable', 'disappointing', 'anti-climactic', 'weird' and even 'funny' cropped up to describe his win.

Disgruntled netizen look4realdeal suggested that if there's ever another Asian Idol, people should 'vote for talent and not out of fear your country will lose if you cast your second vote to (someone with) real talent'.

Others were more sarcastic, like Malaysian blogger KlubbKidd who claimed Asian Idol broke 'the Ten Commandments'.

He wrote: 'There goes the 'thou shalt not worship false idols' with the win (by Hady) and 'thou shalt not steal' with the robbing of the glory of three very much more worthy talents (in Mike, Jaclyn and Mau) who so deserved the title more than the pretty boy who tried to sing.'

But Mr Anthony Ong, president of Hady's fan club, prefers to believe his idol's triumph wasn't an accident.

Together with four other members, the 26-year-old multimedia producer flew to Jakarta to support Hady, casting 'a few hundred votes' each.

Mr Ong said: 'No one can be sure which theory is true or not. I'm sure some voted strategically, but I believe the rest voted on talent, appeal and likability.

'Anyway, Asians have already chosen Hady and they have to live with it. He shone the most, compared to the rest who may have amazing voices but can't sell.

'It's a big achievement for him and for all of us in Singapore. We are overjoyed.'

Asian Idol host Soo Kui Jien added: 'At the end of the day, whether he's deserving or not, he won fair and square. And nobody can take that away from him.'

When confronted with the theory, a fatigued Hady - who only got two hours of sleep early yesterday morning - shrugged the speculation off.

He told The New Paper over the phone from Jakarta: 'People can have their own opinions and theories.

'I was the underdog in the competition... I was prepared to hug whoever was going to win.

'But I still believe that in terms of sincerity and connecting with the audience, I did pretty well.'

Ken: Hady has Malay market advantage

KEN Lim, Singapore's rep on the Asian Idol judging panel, countered the controversial theory with his own.

Said the Hype Records director, who's also Hady Mirza's boss: 'You cannot 'get lucky' with six different territories.

'I don't think voters from the region think so much into it. They are the type who are not so concerned about strategy, but vote for whom they like enough to want to spend money on.'

He felt that strong vocalists like Jaclyn Victor, Mau Marcello, Mike Mohede and Phuong Vy ended up 'fighting among themselves', which paved the way for India's Abhijeet Sawant and Hady - who are 'a different sort of artiste' - to come from behind.

'Hady had the advantage of singing in Malay and reaching out to Indonesia and Malaysia, while Abhijeet was handicapped by language barrier and wrong choice of song,' he added.

Ken revealed that after watching the first round of performances - where Hady sang Taufik Batisah's Malay song Berserah - he sensed that 'this boy has a chance'.

He said: 'I realised that he had the best balance out of all of them. I'm a commercial person, and I was looking at how the Asian Idol must appeal to audiences across Asia, beyond a voice with power and range.'

So what does being the first-ever Asian Idol mean for Hady's hitherto tepid music career?

Ken, who is working on his protege's second album, said: 'It makes our work easier, now that he's more recognised.

'But competing in the commercial market against established acts is a different ball game altogether.'

Technorati Tags: Hady Mirza,Asian Idol,Singapore,Ken Lim

The Electric New Paper, Singapore - The Electric New Paper Show

A new era for local music, or just an idle dream

SINGAPORE : Some call it a triumph to silence the sceptics; others, an unexpected and lucky win.

But fluke or not, the crowning of Singapore's Hady Mirza as the first Asian Idol on Sunday is stirring the embers of hope among those who yearn nostalgically for the days when home-grown names like Anita Sarawak and Sweet Charity were top draws at the concert box office - locally and in South-east Asia.

Could Hady's win herald a revival of those glory days of the 1960s and '70s for Singapore's music scene?
Singapore Idol judge Florence Lian, for one, believes it has debunked the cynical perception that homegrown singers aren't any good.

"It just rubbishes the belief that Singapore only grooms Chinese singers. For me, the biggest hope will be that this win changes the buying patterns and thinking of music fans here," said Ms Lian, a senior vice-president at MediaCorp Enterprises.

"The win is something Singapore should be very proud of," said the first Singapore Idol, Taufik Batisah. "Hopefully, local listeners will open up their eyes and ears."

But some viewers were surprised that the 27-year-old winner of the second season of Singapore Idol could beat out strong singers such as Indonesia's Mike Mohede, 24, and Malaysia's Jaclyn Victor, 29.

"Truth be told, it wasn't Hady's best performance; even his rendition of U2's Beautiful Day seemed tepid when compared to his routines on Singapore Idol," said a viewer who declined to be named.

Even though he thought Hady redeemed himself with his poignant version of the ballad Berserah (Surrender), which Taufik wrote, another viewer wondered if the win was a case of chance over talent.

"Hady's performance wasn't as powerful as some of the more technically-gifted singers," said Ms Nurul Huda Ahmad, 27.
Mr Mohd Isa Talib, 32, however, argued that "what Hady lacks in singing ability, he makes up for in performance. He is good looking and has stage presence — that is a formidable combination in a contest like Idol".

But is Hady the man to lead a Singapore musical invasion of South-east Asia?

Consider his first commercial outing. Taufik's 2005 debut album, the Blessings, which contained mostly English songs, sold 36,000 copies. Hady's self-titled debut album — a mix of English and Malay songs — was released the following November and has sold just 12,000 copies.

Hady fan Mohd Ali, 24, put this down to flawed strategy.

"He was marketed more as a international product to appeal to an English audience, which limited him. He should have been targeted, instead, at the Malay market, both here and in Malaysian and Indonesia," he said.

This is why he thinks Hady should now ride on his Asian Idol success to capture the South-east Asian market — in much the same way that homegrown acts such as Tanya Chua found fame in the Mandarin market in Taiwan, after a disappointing start in the local English music scene.

But Singapore Idol judge Douglas Oliveiro, 50, remains sceptical.

"I think a lot of people will celebrate Hady's win but I don't think it will make an impact on the local music landscape. We've been talking about such plans for 15 to 20 years, yet nothing constructive has come out of this, other than providing a little ray of hope," said Mr Oliveiro.

Hady himself remained typically modest.

"I don't think my being named Asian Idol will start a new chapter in the acceptance of Singaporean music," he told TODAY from Jakarta on Monday, minutes before boarding a plane home. "Winning this title is not about personal glory for me — the real honour was the chance to represent my country."

But Member of Parliament for Tanjong Pagar GRC Baey Yam Keng reckons that Hady's win has given Singaporeans' sense of national pride a boost, and would be an inspiration for the many other talented artistes out there.
Mr Baey said: "Awards like these give people the confidence or the aspiration and motivation to break out of the domestic market." -

Technorati Tags: Hady Mirza,Asian Idol,Singapore

Channelnewsasia.com

Asian Idol Hady Mirza receives hero's welcome home

SINGAPORE: Hady-mania swept through Changi Airport on Monday evening when the Asian Idol returned home.

Hundreds waited more than an hour to congratulate Hady Mirza and to see their idol in person.

It was the generous voting of many of the fans that had helped the Singapore Idol win the Asian crown.

One of his fans, Zahratul Asyeeqah Mohamed, said: "For my family, the combined cost (of sending text messages to vote for Hady) would definitely be more than S$700."

Basking in the attention of hundreds of supporters, Hady did not forget to attribute his success to his fans.

He said: "This is not my own... this is our win together. I'm so happy, look at them! This is all too overwhelming."

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Channelnewsasia.com

Singapore’s Hady Mirza crowned Asian Idol

VietNamNet Bridge – In an unexpected victory that caught even the winner by surprise, Singapore's Hady Mirza was crowned the first Asian Idol in Jakarta on Sunday.

A dark horse in the singing competition, the 26-year-old winner of the second season of Singapore Idol beat five other contestants, including favourites Mike Mohede, 24, from Indonesia, and Jaclyn Victor, 29, from Malaysia.

The other contestants were India's Abhijeet Sawant, 26, Philippines' Mau Marcelo, 27, and Vietnam's Phuong Vy, 20.

All six contestants sang two songs each on the performance show last Saturday night.

Hady lost his composure when his name was announced as the winner just after midnight at the end of a two-hour-long results show telecast on Channel 5.

The Singaporean singer dropped to his knees and covered his face with his hands for a full minute before being hoisted up by his fellow contestants.

To a 5,000-strong live audience at Jakarta's Mega Glodok Kemayoran convention hall and millions more television viewers around Asia, Hady sang-U2's Beautiful Day and Berserah (Surrender), originally sung by first. Singapore Idol Taufik Batisah, last Saturday.

Hady racked up the highest votes via SMS voting.

Viewers could vote as many times as they wanted - but they had to vote for two contestants.

This ruling ensured a level playing field for countries with smaller populations.

Hady sent an SMS to The Straits Times soon after his win.

It said: "I'd like to thank everyone and my fans for voting for me. Without them, I wouldn't be where I am now. I love you... see you all back in Singapore!"

His win caught many by surprise. Singapore Idol judge Ken Lim, who was also on the judging panel for Asian Idol, gave him a 50-50 chance at best before the competition.

He told The Straits Times in an SMS after the results were announced: "I have been waiting for a long time to prove that Singapore should be proud of its home-grown talents, and this win has finally made Singapore Asia's best."

Hady's friends were also shocked.

"I am shocked but happy for him. It was unexpected as he was up against strong competition," said his friend of eight years Shahfii Ali. The -28-year-old is from hip-hop group Triple Noize and has performed with Hady since the late 1990s in the independent hip-hop and R&B scene.

Technorati Tags: Hady Mirza,Asian Idol,Singapore,Winner

VietNamNet - Singapore’s Hady Mirza crowned Asian Idol