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.

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.

Hady did Singapore proud

With the smallest population among the six countries with contestants in the Asian Idol contest, Singapore's entry, Hady Mirza is as likely to win as snow falling on Orchard Road. Imagine the torrent of sms votes coming from India and Indonesia in support of their boys. What chance will poor Hady have?

That said, he gave a very worthy performance, and I don't think I'm being biased. By my rating, he comes in as second best, just pipped by Indonesia's Mike Mohede.

It's all subjective of course and at this point, I think I should declare my preferences in music and singing. What was I looking for?

Firstly, musicality, which is a hard concept to explain. It's a combination of melodiousness, rhythm, surprise in thematic development and colour in the sound. Knowing when to start a phrase, when to hold back. Some people just have a talent for musicality, and it shows in the way they interpret a song.

Secondly, the balance between singing a song straight and embellishment. Singing it straight can get boring, but it can also be very demanding technically. It's harder to hide your flaws. Embellishing the voice line must be done judiciously or else the momentum is lost through the confusion, so getting that balance right is very tricky. Furthermore, it must sound spontaneous and totally natural even when planned and rehearsed – and that's really hard.

Thirdly, pacing. A performance song must have the right pace to hold the audience's interest, and the right pace for the voice. In other words a song can have different pacing for different singers/interpretations. Tied in with pacing is volume control. There's a lot of judgment involved in when to begin the climb to the climax and how fast to climb.

Fourthly, inventiveness. It's a thrill to see a performer sing a song in a whole new way. Needless to say, it's a rare thrill.

Normally, I would include diction as one of the measures, but in a cross-national contest, it is not appropriate.

My personal dislikes include dance-type songs – they tend to be boring after the first 30 seconds – and what I call the full-blast foghorn songs, the type many female singers like. In my opinion, going full blast is just the opposite of control and musicality.

My habit is to close my eyes during parts of the song. How does he sound if he was not on stage but on a CD? It makes a lot of difference with the eyes closed.

Asian Idol Participation

The first season was hosted by Amelia "Ata" Natasha and Daniel Mananta, both from Indonesian Idol, and Malaysian Idol's Soo Kui Jien.

Each participating country had its own system of determining its representative.

As a kickoff to Asian Idol, all six contestants were introduced through a special presentation called Road to Asian Idol on December 8, 2007. Meanwhile, fans of each contestant will be able to choose the song they want their Idol to perform before the Asian Idol performance show. The Idols performed two songs each—one in English and another in their native language.

In addition to the coverage of Asian Idol, RCTI ran a series of features called Asian Idol Extra between late November to mid-December 2007.

Every competing country sent a judge to serve as the contestants' critics, but comments from only three judges on each performer were shown due to time constraints.

Special guests in the Results Show included American Idol winner Taylor Hicks, Australian Idol winner Guy Sebastian, Indian Idol judge Alisha Chinai, and Vietnam Idol judge Siu Black. It also featured performances by Rivermaya, Peterpan, and Agnes Monica.

The production of Asian Idol was put up with the help of the production crew from Australian Idol.

Participation details

The table below lists the contenders in Asian Idol and the songs that each performed. It also lists the representative judges and the TV networks that participated in the show. Kazakhstan's franchise is also listed below because it was originally in the line-up of countries for the show. Gold background indicates the winner of the competition and the songs performed.

Asian Idol Franchise - Representative Idol - English song:

Indian Idol - Abhijeet Sawant - (Everything I Do) I Do It For You
Indonesian Idol - Mike Mohede - I Believe I Can Fly
Malaysian Idol - Jaclyn Victor - For Once in My Life
Philippine Idol - Mau Marcelo - Reach
Singapore Idol - Hady Mirza - Beautiful Day
Vietnam Idol - Phuong Vy - River Deep - Mountain High

Hady Mirza Debut Album in Malaysia

Hady Mirza debut album will be releasing on 29 June 2007 in Malaysia music stores, so do check out his debut album that features songs in different kind of mood and genre! special cover! special production and good effort by Hady.

Make sure you grab yourself one copy that is ORIGINAL. for more information, please visit Http://www.hady-mirza.com/forum.

Song you won't want to miss written and created by Hady himself "merpati", (Also won one award in Anugerah Planet Muzik 2007 8 June 2007 under the category of the most popular song in Singapore). The other song that written and created by Hady and Imran Ajmain "What's left" are also recorded in the album. And make sure you find out more about other songs in the album including the hidden track. It's all Hady's hard work that produce the album within 1 month after winning the second Singapore Idol.

Exclusive Interview with Hady Mirza

After receiving the title as the first Asian Idol, Hady Mirza went back to Singapore and received a warm welcome from his fans. The questions were answered exclusively for us as the last posting and the closing of theasianidol.tv. Thank you for visiting and Happy New Year!

For Indonesians who want to audition for Indonesian Idol, visit the website for online registration.

How do you feel when announced as winner?

I really felt very thankful and blessed to have so many people supporting me because without them, I will not be where I am right now. And I am really happy that I’ve played my part for the country and making Singapore proud.

What are your future plan after Asian Idol?

I am still in the midst of discussing with my manager, but a new album is definitely on the list and I hope to be able to release the new album not only in Singapore but in other parts of the region as well.

How do you feel to be back home?

Both happy and sad at the same time. Happy because there’s no place like home! Now I am back with my beloved family, friends and fans who have supported me all these while. Sad because I had such a great time at Jakarta and I didn’t want to leave! Haha..Really hope to see you guys soon!!

How are the fans welcoming you back to Singapore? Is it true what we heard, that fans are waiting for you at Changi?

It was really an overwhelming reception – there were just so many people out there waiting for me at the airport! I just didn’t know how to react but one thing for sure? They moved me to tears! I really thanked them for their love and faith in me and I will promise to do my best for them.

Hady’s made it

More than 14 hours after emerging as the Singapore Idol, man of soul Hady Mirza tells us this morning in an exclusive half-hour interview that he still. Doesn’t. Quite. Believe. The. Good. News. So if you see him on the streets and wanna congratulate him, tap his shoulder really softly ‘cos he thinks he might still be living in a dream: “Is this real?”

Congratulations on clinching the grand title. How did you celebrate victory last night?
We (the Top 12 finalists) went to the post party and just mingled, ‘cos I can’t drink. Had a few interviews here and there. It was cool. There were actually moments where I was zoning out a little bit, like, ‘Is this real?’ It hasn’t sunk in yet. I don’t know what’s going on!

You did look rather taken aback when the results were revealed.
I am. When I did radio interviews with Perfect 10 and Class 95 and the deejays went, “So, Hady, you’re the Singapore Idol!”, I’m like, “Really?” I’ve dreamt about this. I pictured it happening to me so many times, and now it’s happened. It’s surreal.

You and Jonathan gave each other a big hug after the results. What did you say to each other?
He said, “I’m really proud of you, dude.” And I said, “I’m very proud of you too, dude.” We’re quite close.

You were fasting for the past few days. How did you manage to pull off your spectacular performances last Sunday?
I had to break my fast quick! The breaking fast time was 7.01pm. Within that hour (the performances started at 8pm), I had to get my hair and everything ready. Everyone was rushing us around, so you know, I had to prepare myself mentally. The first song I did was Freedom. I was really excited, got out there and did it. I enjoyed it.

Being a commercial artiste now, are you starting to feel the pressure?
Definitely. That was the initial plan for me when I joined Singapore Idol: to open more doors and do more stuff. I like to learn. I’ve learnt so much in the whole competition, and I think there’s a whole lot more to learn, like recording in the studio, working with established people like Ken Lim and so on. I’m really looking forward to that. I wanna learn more stuff.

Any idea what your work schedule looks like for your new life ahead?
Man, I have no idea.

A lot of people are wondering how you’ll differentiate yourself from first season winner Taufik Batisah. Are you afraid of comparisons to him?
There is already a difference. I don’t have to try. If I try, that means I think I’m the same as him, right? Taufik is Taufik in his own right. In terms of music influences, singing style and approach to songs, we’re different.

Did he say anything to you after the show?
He said, “Congratulations, I’m happy for you.” I thanked him for all his help and advice. We plan to meet up and hang out sometime. Right now, he’s busy, and I’m busy.

Thinking back to the first time we met you, you really seem so different in the way you speak and present yourself now.
I’m definitely more confident now. In terms of performing on stage, talking to people, I’m more assured. But, regardless of the change in how I am and what I am, I’m still the same. I don’t like to be so serious and stuff — I hate that. I’m just easygoing. Right now as I’m talking to you, it’s not even an interview. I just like to talk.

Now that you’re gonna be a solo artiste, will you miss having fronting your own band?
They have helped me a lot in experiencing so much. I owe a lot to them. They are the reason why I am here, apart from all the support I get from the fans, supporters and family. There are so many people I have to thank and don’t know how to thank. They mean a lot to me.

Likewise, your parents. We notice that whenever they’re interviewed, you really see them glower with pride. They don’t even have to speak much.
They’re not good with words exactly. When I’m at home, we don’t talk much about life. Not like, “Son, you must do this and do that”. I don’t like that. They understand. The rest of my family members who came last night — there’re so many of them. Probably, I’ll have a chance to hang out with them at the upcoming Hari Raya. I appreciate the love they give. It’s special. If they weren’t there, it would have been very different.

So many of your fans were rooting for you too. Very vocal, too.
Yeah, they’re amazing. They have all these cheers and they are so supportive, it’s great that people appreciate you. I hope to be an inspiration to them and inspire them to do great things on their own. It’s a bit cliché but if you have dreams, you do your best even if you think you’ll fail.

Just like how Ken has said that the Singapore Idol has to be inspirational.
Ken has all the right words at the right time. He’s a man that I respect. Did he say anything to me after the press conference last night? We didn’t have time, but he said he’d talk to me later. I’m really looking forward to working and learning for him, and not just him but the others, like Babes (Conde) and Iskandar (Ismail).

What kind of album will you make? Universal Music’s managing director Gary See said you were likely to do mainstream pop.
For now, I will leave it to them, work with them and let them produce my first album. (pause) Hit me, man. My first album. I didn’t think I would have a chance to say that. My first single. It’s on air! It’s weird.

Yes, it’s real. Does it really seem so unreal to you?
I think it (the good news) will only sink in when I start doing my work. Right now, I haven’t had my sleep yet since the results — about two hours or 1.5 hours — so it feels like I’m still there, you know.

Is it just us, or do you really have loads of dress-up stuff at home, like bunny ears and wigs? Or did you get these all from the wardrobe unit?
They’re mine. When I was working with my band, we did a lot of themes. There’d be a theme for rock ‘n’ roll, or retro, or Tom Jones, so it’s fun. I keep all the stuff. I even used to have a wardrobe with my previous workplace at The Devil’s Bar and someone to take care of what stuff we’d wear and all.

That aside, who among the other contestants did you have the most fun impersonating?
Jay. It’s the way he talks. He’d go, “I think, I think”. And it never comes across, I don’t know what the hell he’s talking about! I can do Paul, he would be like (Paul’s lalaland expression). When he’s tired, he’d drool. I’d go ‘Hey, wake up’ and he’d be, ‘Huhhhhhhh?’ Jon, I can’t do — his voice is too low. Joakim? (Does a left-to-right Joakim glance). Nurul would be like (perky voice) “I’m a happy goober!” She’d go (perky voice) “Hady!” and I’d be like “…What?”

Oh yes, you and Nurul. You guys were hilarious pulling off a faux lovers’ tiff in hiphop slang while shooting the Best of R&B trailer.
That was cool, man. I liked the Bimmer we had. Good car man, damn. I didn’t know how to reverse it. I like driving. Cars and — I used to ride bikes, but I fell a few times so there are many scars on my legs. Driving is very therapeutic, especially on the ECP with the top open.

For some reason, you come across to us as a biker guy.
I think it’s the Mat thing. Do you think all Malays are Mat? It’s essentially… quite true. I mean, deep down inside, everybody I’m sure (points to Chinese female music exec) you’re an Ah Lian. A Malay girl would be a Minah, and Malay guy a Mat. Chinese guy like Jon — Ah Beng. But we just choose not to be. (big grin)

Er, okay.
Sometimes you go out with your friends right, the Lian would come out. No? Don’t bluff. For me also, deep down inside, there’s always a Mat. Like, “Eh, apa, relak ah… Apa kau cakap ni? Apa kau tanya ni semua ni? Eh tak paham .. ah tak nak …” (Translation from Malay: “Eh what, relax ah. What are you saying? Why do you ask all these questions? I don’t understand. I don’t want to…”)

You and Jon are always touted as the cool guys of the competition. Who’s the cooler one?
Well, we’re the last two standing, what do you think? That’s… it’s clear, isn’t it? (laughs) It’s different, he’s the rocker dude. I’m the crooner, the balladeer. We’re cool in different ways. If it’s about being cool in a rocker way, then he might win. I’m more like a retro rocker, you know, 80s rock. I like rock, but not to the extent of having tattoos, long hair and stuff. Long hair doesn’t work for me. Tried it my whole life. Jon is cooler. He looks like a bad boy. Bad boys are always cool.

Which calls to mind one of the songs you did for the Judges’ Choice spectacular. Dick thought your performance of Kiss wasn’t sexy enough. So what — are you less of a bad boy and more like a good boy?
No, I’m just a normal guy. But you know, it’s hard to get sexy in front of TV. I had trouble with it. I mean, how do you do a Tom Jones number?

At any rate, thanks to Ken’s advice to you to fall in love, you’re probably gonna be snapped up soon by the local women’s magazines as one of Singapore’s hottest bachelors.
Well, I was in Cleo’s 50 Most Eligible Bachelors for 2004. (laughs) What kind of qualities do I look for in a woman? I’m not particular as long as she’s understanding. You have to give and take in a relationship. I had a few relationships before and when you don’t want to give and take, it’s different. I’m a simple guy. Simple is good enough.

Any final thoughts about your Idol journey now that things have gone so well?
I think about it a lot. All the things I went through, all the things I learnt, people I met… from Day 1, there was a lot to take in and I’m glad I managed to take it in day by day, opening up and accepting things I didn’t know before about myself. I’m getting to know myself better now. I know what I can do and what I’m capable of. I like to perform on stage. I love music. And I know that’s what I wanna do for a career.

Hady's your new Idol

Singapore has made her choice. The smooth R&B vocals of Hady Mirza have won over the hearts of viewers and its owner has been crowned Singapore's new singing sensation.

After a nationwide search which spanned eight months and 15 weeks of voting, a new Singapore Idol is finally born. He is none other than 26-year-old Hady Mirza.

This much-anticipated piece of news was announced by host Gurmit Singh after a 90-minute results show which featured a star-studded lineup including Season One's winner Taufik Batisah, local band Electrico, Taiwan-made-good local songbird Tanya Chua, the legendary Rahimah Rahim as well as Taiwanese hip hop boy band Energy.

Though not displaying as shocked an expression as last season's Taufik Batisah, a speechless Hady was seen fighting back tears after his name was called out as the one Singapore has voted to be the Singapore Idol. His was a landslide victory marked by 70 per cent of some one million votes which poured in following Sunday night's performance show whereby the Top 2 sang their hearts out with three songs each, including an original number You Give Me Wings which Hady would now record as his first single. The voting lines were closed minutes before 9pm tonight.

Struggling to keep his composure in front of an 8000-strong crowd, the well-deserved winner said of his triumph: “All my hard work has brought me here at last. Jonathan is also a winner too.”

Indeed, Jonathan – the suave rocker with the deep baritone voice had been a hot contender for the Idol title. His Japanese-idol swoon-worthy looks have won him legion of female fans. Addressing Jonathan first, Ken said: “Jonathan, your journey has just begun. I share the view of Dick. I think you can be a regional star anytime.

Speaking to his new charge, Ken said in his characteristic solemn tone: “You are now the Singapore Idol. Make sure you are inspirational. Make sure you make the nation proud.”

Amidst decibel-breaking cheers and screams, Hady sang his first single the You Give Me Wings like he has always owned the song. Accompanied by a sea of flailing hands of the fans and a shower of confetti, Hady sang the words of his song with conviction. After all, he must be flying high with his emotions with his win.

In a ‘live' interview with MediaCorp TV Channel 5 News, a jubilant Hady said that his mind went blank right after his name was called. He then took the opportunity to thank his fans. “I just wanna say thank you very much. Thank you for making my dreams come true.”

At the post-show press conference held minutes after the show ended, it was revealed that as the winner of Singapore Idol, Hady would ink a three-year recording contract with Universal Music (renewable after one year) as well as a management contract with Hype Records, where Ken is the managing director.

Look out for Hady's debut album sometime in end October or early November this year. With a friendly appeal almost similar to Taufik's, the head honchos have set the direction of Hady's musical career as going the way of mainstream pop, just like his predecessor.
When asked on runner-up Jonathan's future, Ken declined to comment, preferring reporters to keep their focus and attention on the man of the night – Hady Mirza - a name which we, no doubt, will be hearing more of.