So I finally decided to check out the Singapore Idol Season 3 clips on YouTube, and I'd like to make a bold prediction. FAIZAL ISA will win Singapore Idol 3.
Why do I say this? It's glaringly obvious that the 3rd Singapore Idol will, following in the footsteps of Taufik Batisah and Hady Mirza, also be a Malay male. There are two simple reasons for this- female teenagers, and Malay solidarity. The Malay community in Singapore is by far the strongest and most tight-knit, and will definitely spend much more time and money to vote for one of their own. I'm guessing a good 80% of the votes come from 20% of the voters, which pretty much sums up the Malay teenage-girl phenomenon.
Of course, Faizal isn't going to win simply because he's a Malay guy. He's got the looks, he's got the charisma, and most importantly, he already looks like Idol material. When I first saw him, I thought he was a Jason Mraz wannabe because he was singing a Jason Mraz song and wearing that trademark Jason Mraz hat. But he impressed me with his growth as a performer, which clearly suggests that he knows what he wants and what he has to do to reach that dream. Granted, I could be cynical and say that he's simply getting out of one cliché mold and jumping into another, but that would be undermining the amount of effort and dedication it takes. Besides, he's a young kid and has a lot of room to grow.
My previous bet was on Farhan Shah, but he simply doesn't seem as strong a contestant as Faizal. He certainly has the looks, but doesn't quite seem talented enough in comparison. If he has an intelligent, marketing mind, he could be the next Paul Twohill- (who gets to do all sorts of fun kinky stuff with Kay Kay in Chick Vs. Dick, that lucky bastard.)
Of the three Malay guys in the competition, Sezairi Sezali is by far the most musically and vocally talented. I know him as a hardworking fellow who has earned his stripes in the local music scene with the band Juxtapose. He's a seasoned performer, which should earn you credit- but we've seen how much help that was to Syltra Lee. He's also got interesting, diverse and refined tastes- but I don't think that will help him very much either. I imagine the Singapore Idol experience is going to be good exposure for him and his music though, and I'm betting he'll stay around for a long time because he's an interesting character. Album sales will be good for you, Sezairi!
Dark Horses:
Charles "Stitch" Wong will be around much longer than any of us expect him to be. The smart thing to do would be not to overdo the beatboxing and the guitar-playing all at once. Regardless, he will likely win the Ah Lian votes and I wouldn't be surprised if he were the Idol Runner-Up like Sylvester Sim or Jonathan Leong. He could then go on to have a decent career in the Mandarin music scene, perhaps.
Duane Ho is a solid vocalist, and has the cute-lovable-teddy-bear image going for him. Unfortunately, he's a novelty character. He will definitely be shed before the end, but how long he can stay depends on the strength of his fanbase. He may go pretty far, but he will not make it to the final four.
Got Chance:
Nurul Huda is a very strong contestant- she has good vocals, and is a very comfortable performer. She has style and pizazz and will go quite a distance. I'm looking forward to seeing her next few performances. I'm guessing she might make it to Final 4.
I would love for Malaque to go all the way and win it; then I can proudly say that I lost TPJC Songfest to the girl who would go on to become Singapore Idol! She's a wonderful personality and extremely lovable with great pipes to boot (and she's looking more ooh-la-la than ever), but I'm guessing that she won't go as far as she deserves to. She has my support.
Sylvia Ratonel BOOMS! She's attractive and has star quality! She will no doubt go on to become a local celebrity, and we will see her acting in local shows and hosting local events. FHM will be knocking on her door pretty soon. I will buy that issue. She doesn't need Idol to become big in her own right.
Fathin Amira reminds me a little bit of both Rahimah Rahim and Olinda Cho- she has spunk and attitude, and really channels the emotion of the song. Her rendition of Hurt, while a little pitchy, was really emotive and strong! She will stick around for some time.
Bye Bye:
Syltra Lee is a great performer and she went home too early. I hope the exposure was good for her and that she'll continue to pursue success in her own way, because she's definitely a hard-working performer.
Tabitha Nauser has the vocal chops. She's cute and exudes a fun personality. It's sad and unfortunate, but we will lose her much earlier than she deserves. She will lose the "vote-for-the-hot-girl" votes to Sylvia, and the "fun personality" votes to Fathin and Malaque.
Mae Sta Maria is pretty and has some attitude, but she will not go much further because of her age and her race, unless she does something amazing next time round. She will be quite easily forgotten, and doesn't come across as particularly ambitious.
Ur comment is a credible one..:p
ReplyDeleteCheers