Malaysian Idol is the Malaysian version of the Idol franchise that started in UK, similar to shows such as UK's Pop Idol and American Idol in the franchise. This show is a contest to determine the best young singer in Malaysia, with the winner receiving a major record deal, although some runners-up have achieved enough fame to ink record deals of their own. Like any other Idol show, the winner is decided by public votes. The Malaysian Idol series has gained a following in Malaysia from people of all ages partly due to their interest in American Idol which had been introduced a few years prior. Malaysian Idol has been broadcast to Malaysian viewers via terrestrial television, 8TV and TV3.
The last few finalists of Malaysian Idol have become celebrities because they have their own following of fans who supported them throughout their appearance on Malaysian Idol.
Outside Malaysia, the show has become known worldwide for the audition of a Michael Jackson impersonator, which became a viral hit on the Internet because of his attempt to sing Billie Jean, gaining over 12 million views on YouTube.
Overview In Malaysian Idol, auditions were held for the top finalists. The first season was hosted by Soo Kui Jien and Sharifah Aleya. However, for the second season, Jien's new co-host was Cheryl Samad. Malaysian Idol was also unique in presenting in a bilingual English/Malaysian format, Jien representing a large portion of the English dialogue and the Malaysian part primarily Aleya/Samad which would have been of aid to Paul Moss' appearance on the show.
In a nutshell, the Malaysian Idol competition follows the Idol Series' main concept. All rounds of competition are broadcast on television. Contestants who aspire to be singers sign up and audition for the preliminary round in front of three judges (refer Judges below). Successful candidates enter the next round. In the next phase, Idol contestants perform individually and in a group. This round of elimination is also known as the "Theatre Elimination" Round (equivalent to American Idol'''s Hollywood Round) and their fate is again decided by the judges. The last phase involves weekly performances in front of an audience. The person with the fewest votes (as sent in by the audience throughout Malaysia through SMS and telephone calls) for each week, is eliminated. After each performance the judges will give their feedback; however, they do not determine whether the contestant should stay or go. This goes on until the Malaysian Idol has been selected.
Judges As seen in the format for American Idol where there were two American and one British judges, two of the judges in Malaysian Idol were native Malaysians, and the other a New Zealander. Similarly, two out of three of Malaysian Idol judges were male.
The judges included: Roslan Aziz — Malaysian musician, album producer, songwriter. singer Fauziah Latiff — Malaysian singer, actress Paul Moss — New Zealand singer, songwriter, producer, recording company Positive Tone's Artiste & Repertoire (A&R) director
Malaysian Idol coaches Aubrey Suwito - Music Director Juwita Suwito - Vocal Coach Michael Xavier Voon & Petra Elaine Pedley- Performance Coaches
Season 1 (2004)
Jaclyn Victor won the title as the first Malaysian Idol in 2004 while the runner-up was Faradina Mohd. Nadzir (Dina).
The Malaysian Idol winner's single is "Gemilang", written by Malaysian Idol music director Aubrey Suwito.
Finalists (ages stated at time of contest)
Contestant Age Hometown Voted Off Liveshow Theme Jaclyn Victor (Jac) 25 Kuala Lumpur Winner Grand Finale Faradina Mohd. Nadzir (Dina) 19 Johor Bahru 9 October 2004 Mavick Teo Hui Mau (Vick) 19 Ipoh 2 October 2004 Malaysian/International Hits Andrew Tan Khin Huat (Andrew) 20 Kuala Lumpur 25 September 2004 Film Hits Mohd Saipul B. Bakeri (Saiful) 18 Sarawak 18 September 2004 P. Ramlee Songs Nicolette Palikat (Nikki) 18 Tambunan 11 September 2004 R&B Ahmad Zamil Idris (Zamil) 26 Kampung Datuk Keramat 4 September 2004 Rock Victor Lee Choon Keat (Victor) 22 Penang 28 August 2004 80s Hits Rydiana Abdul Rahim (Rydee) 21 Kota Kinabalu21 August 2004Classic Hits Mohammad Fahmy bin Zakaria (Fahmy) 19 Kuala Lumpur Sufiah Mohamed Noor (Sufiah) 26 Kuala Lumpur14 August 2004My Idol Fazdli Zainal (Fazly) 26 Kuala Lumpur
Elimination
Round: Spectacular Show Week: 14/8 21/8 28/8 4/9 11/9 18/9 25/9 2/10 9/10 Place Contestants Result 1 Jaclyn Victor
Btm2
Btm2 Winner 2 Faradina Mohd. Nadzir
Btm3
Runner Up 3 Mavick Teo Hui Mau
Eliminated (Week 8) 4 Andrew Tan
Btm3
Btm2
Eliminated (Week 7) 5 Saipul Bakeri
Btm2 Btm3
Eliminated (Week 6) 6 Nicolette Palikat Btm3
Eliminated (Week 5) 7 Ahmad Zamil Idris
Btm2
Eliminated (Week 4) 8 Victor Lee Choon Keat
Eliminated (Week 3) 9-10 Rydiana Rahim Btm3
Eliminated (Week 2) Fahmy Zakaria
11-12 Sufiah Mohamed Noor
Eliminated (Week 1) Fazdli Zainal
Season 2 (2005)
After the first selection round (auditions were open to the public throughout Malaysia), and the three Theater Elimination or "workshop" sessions were over, there were 11 finalists left. Every week of Malaysian Idol has resulted in with the contestant with the fewest votes going out of the contest.
Finalists (ages stated at time of contest)
Contestant Age Hometown Voted Off Liveshow Theme Daniel Lee Chee Hun (Daniel) 22 Changlun Winner Grand Finale Norhanita Hamzah (Nita) 25 Kuala Lumpur 24 September 2005 Farah Asyikin Zulkifli (Farah) 26 Taman Tun Dr Ismail 17 September 2005 Film Hits Faizull Herman Mohd Yahya (Faizul) 24 Malacca 10 September 2005 Unplugged Ashvin Nair (Ash) 25 Subang 3 September 2005 Classic Hits Adam Alli @ Abu Kawi (Adam) 23 Sarawak 27 August 2005 Rock Tengku Hamisah Zaharah (Xerra) 25 Kuala Lumpur 20 August 2005 Local Songwriters Ejay Wong Shau Fui (Ejay) 25 Sabah 13 August 2005 R&B/Pop Hits Azam Yakab @ Yakob (Azam) 21 Sabah 6 August 2005 Colours Atilia Sarani (Atilia) 28 Kuala Lumpur30 July 2005Local/Foreign Hits Tricia Priscilla D'Cruz (Tricia) 21 Cheras
These finalists released a compilation album entitled Malaysian Idol 2.
Elimination
+ Legend Top 11 Winner
Safe Top Safe First Safe Last Eliminated
Round: Spectacular Shows Finale Week: 30/7 6/8 13/8 20/8 27/8 3/9 10/9 17/9 24/9 Place Contestants Result 1 Daniel Lee Chee Hun 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st Winner 2 Norhanita Hamzah
Runner Up 3 Farah Asyikin Zulkifli
Eliminated (Week 8) 4 Faizull Herman Mohamad Yahya Btm 3
Btm 3 Btm 2 Btm 2
Eliminated (Week 7) 5 Ash Nair
Btm 2 Btm 3 Btm 2
Eliminated (Week 6) 6 Adam Alli
Eliminated (Week 5) 7 Tengku Hamisah Zaharah Tengku Zaimi
Btm 2
Eliminated (Week 4) 8 Wong Shau Fui Btm 3
Eliminated (Week 3) 9 Azam Yakob
Eliminated (Week 2) 10-11 Atilia Sarani
Eliminated (Week 1) Tricia Priscilla D'Cruz
The winner of 2005 season of Malaysian Idol was Daniel Lee Chee Hun (Daniel) who defeated Norhanita Hamzah (Nita) (Note: Daniel has always been in the top position throughout the weeks leading to the finals, as mentioned occasionally in the show). According to the press conference, Daniel garnered a massive 1.2 million out of 1.67 million votes (or about 68%) by the audience to win the finals (the voting time window was approximately 24 hours after the final show). The final show was on September 23, 2005, and the results show was on September 24, 2005, and held in Genting Highlands's Arena of Stars. On the live broadcast aired on TV3 and 8TV, the three judges spoke highly of both the finalists.
The second season's theme (winner's) song is "Mimpi", written by Pot, a member of the Malaysian band Innuendo. It was also through this song that enabled Daniel to shine in the finals.
Cancellation On 12 March 2006, 8TV's CEO announced that Malaysian Idol would not return for a third season. However, the show was succeeded by One in a Million'' (2006–2009), another reality singing competition that used a similar format.
References