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"!
Hardy Mirza the ASIAN IDOL!
Sunday, December 16, 2007Hady 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.
Singapore's Hady Mirza wins first Asian Idol contest
JAKARTA: Singapore's Hady Mirza has been crowned Asian Idol in an inaugural contest held in Jakarta.
The 27-year-old beat five other contestants from host country Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and India in Asia's largest talent showcase in terms of size of audience.
Millions of viewers in the six participating countries watched the Asian Idol competition live on television.
Competition was strong as all six contestants had won their own country's Idol contest.
Asian Idol Hady said: "Seriously, I didn't think it was going to be me. Looking at their vocal prowess and the things that they have achieved – they have achieved so much more than me - I'm just happy to be there, you know. I'm just enjoying the moment, hoping that I gave a sincere performance."
All six contestants performed two songs each on the performance show held on Saturday.
Anu Malik, one of the judges of Asian Idol and India Idol, said: "When Hady sang the second song, I remember telling him that I liked his attitude, his personality... he's not concerned whether he would win or lose. This kind of thing appeals to the public – the people out there."
Hady clinched the highest number of votes sent via text messaging. Apart from his singing talent, the judges believe the 27-year-old's good looks also appealed to viewers throughout the region.
Ken Lim, one of the judges of Asian Idol and Singapore Idol, said: "I think the strategy here is very simple. We have somebody who is able to sing and has the balance in terms of appeal. I think that stood out for the audience across Asia because it's important."
The organisers have revealed that all six contestants pulled in similar percentages of votes from viewers in their respective countries. But as all voters are required to pick one other winner from another country, the majority made Hady their choice.
To Hady's fans, who had travelled from Singapore to Jakarta to support their idol, the trip was very worthwhile.
The newly crowned Asian Idol said throughout the competition, he was always mindful that the hopes of his fans and the country rested on his shoulders.
"I take pride in being a Singaporean. Being Singaporean, you always want to do your country proud," he said.
With the Asian Idol title under his belt, Hady is now poised to further penetrate the region's culturally diverse music scene.
Hady Mirza - The Singapore Idol
Saturday, December 15, 2007 Hady Mirza (born January 28, 1980) is the winner of the second season of Singapore Idol. He was crowned the winner on 25 September 2006 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium after garnering 70% of about one million votes cast by television viewers.
Hady is most known for his smooth R&B voice and charming personality. He is the second male winner, following in the footsteps of his favourite idol, Taufik Batisah.
Biography
Hady started singing at the age of 8 and instantly fell in love with it because of the passion in each individual genre. It is a way for him to convey his emotions and express himself freely. On the show Hady was known for his diverse versatility singing not only R&B, but Pop, Rock and Soul.
His occupation was a pub performer but he wished to be a professional soccer player growing up. The song that would describe him best is "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen because of the flow of feelings and brilliant arrangement.
Three words Hady has used to describe himself are: simple, strong-willed and stubborn. He says he is good at ball games, entertaining guests and making scrambled eggs.
His favourite singers include John Legend, Robbie Williams, Babyface, Boyz II Men, Peter Cetera and Jamie Cullum. He has a very tight knit family and friends and is very grateful to all those who believe in him, especially his mum.
Hady's debut album, self-titled Hady Mirza, was released in Singapore on 13 November 2006[1] and achieved Platinum status within 4 days of release. The album will be repacked with additional materials.
In June 2007, Hady was awarded with two major awards in Anugerah Planet Muzik 2007, a yearly malay music award show awarding the best musicians in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. Hady was voted "Most Popular Artiste (Singapore)" and his self-penned malay single "Merpati" was voted "Most Popular Song (Singapore)"
Hady Mirza was also chosen to sing an exclusive song "You and I" for Police Week 2007 held in conjunction with Police Day Parade 2007. In October 2007, to coincide with the grand opening of the KPE Tunnel, a special compilation album Sounds of the Underground was recorded, and Hady Mirza was featured on the track Jangan Memandu di Pinggir Jalan (Don't Drive on the Side of the Road).
One year after Hady Mirza's Singapore Idol win, he is up for his next challenge, the title of Asian Idol, which features winners of Idol winners from six countries Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Philippines and India. The idols will battle it out for the title in December 2007. Asian Idol is set to be held on mid-December 2007 in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Asian Idol Participation
Monday, December 10, 2007The 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's all set for Asian Idol
Monday, December 3, 2007 Idol fever is set to take on a much bigger platform here in Asia as the first Asian Idol contest kicks off in Jakarta on 15 December.
Winners of Idol competitions from six Asian countries - Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines and India - will vie for the title of Asian Idol.
Representing Singapore is Season 2 winner Hady Mirza who is looking forward to sharing the stage with the other Idols during the two-day singing competition.
While Hady is tight-lipped about the songs he will be performing, he did reveal that contestants will be required to perform two songs, one in English and the other in their native language.
Though 27-year-old is up against some stiff competition - Indonesian Idol Mike Mohede, Abhijeet Sawant from India, Malaysian Idol Jaclyn Victor, Philippine Idol Mau Marcelo, and Phuong Vy from Vietnam - he is focused on delivering a good performance to garner support and votes from viewers.
"I'm not really thinking about my chances, I'm focusing on my performance... I hope to deliver a sincere performance, something that will touch people's hearts, something that can connect to them," said Hady.
Winners will be decided by SMS voting with an unusual twist to ensure fairness.
Viewers will be have to vote for two performers and the population size of participating countries will be taken into consideration.
Singapore viewers can catch the Asian Idol Performance Show on Channel 5 on 15 December and the Asian Idol Results Show on 16 December at 10pm. - CNA
Hady Mirza Debut Album in Malaysia
Monday, June 25, 2007
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.