The ninth season of Akademi Fantasia premiered on 2 April 2011 and concluded on 12 June 2011 on the Astro Ria television channel. Aznil Nawawi made a comeback as host along with Fauziah Ahmad Daud and Hattan also made a comeback to judge.
The professional trainers as well as twelve students of this season were revealed in a press conference which took place in ÆON malls in Malaysia. On 2 April 2011, Amy Search of Search was revealed to be the Principal for this season during Konsert Tirai Akademi Fantasia.
The season was originally planned to be the final season; however, the series would subsequently be revived in 2013.
On 12 June 2011, Hazama Ahmad Azmi was crowned the winner of the ninth season of Akademi Fantasia, beating Lenaber Hadir.
This season attracted the lowest reception of votes in the history of Akademi Fantasia, with 3.74 million votes cast.
Format changes Several new formats were also implemented in this season. For instance, the location for Diari Akademi Fantasia was disclosed which is at ÆON AU2, Setiawangsa. Students undergo their daily routine as a student of Akademi Fantasia in the second floor of the shopping complex for public viewing. This change is a departure from the previous eight seasons where the location for Diari Akademi Fantasia was not revealed.
Operasi Gugur The second change in Akademi Fantasia format is the implementation of Operasi Gugur. In this format, students with the least improvement would be expelled by the professional trainers in order to give an opportunity for new students to join the academy. The announcement was made at the end of the second concert in Season 9 on 16 April 2011.
Immunity Another change in Akademi Fantasia format is the introduction of an immunity system where the professional trainers would be given the power to exercise a veto on a student to spare him or her from elimination for that particular week. The immunity system, which consisted of 50% public voting from the audience and another 50% from a unanimous decision made by the professional trainers, was used in the eight concert of this season. The recipient of this system would advance automatically to the final concert without having to perform in the ninth concert. The new format change was revealed at the end of the sixth concert on 14 May 2011.
Auditions Auditions were held in the following cities: Promenade Hotel, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah - 28, 29 & 30 January National Stadium, Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur – 11, 12 & 13 February In addition to the above cities, for the first time contestants were allowed to audition via online. To audition, they were required to upload audition clip of them singing a pre-approved song in YouTube. Then, they were required to submit their application form together with their video link. The internet auditionees were called back in order to go through the second stage until the fourth stage of the audition. Contestants were required to be between the ages of 18 and 45, and are Malaysian and Singaporean citizens who are not embedded with recording or management contracts.
On 18 February 2011, forty semi-finalists were revealed as the candidates of Akademi Fantasia. Nevertheless, only twenty-five semi-finalists were selected to move on to the next round which was determined through public voting via online and based on professional jury. The online voting commenced on 18 February 2011, and ended on 8 March 2011. The twelve finalists who made it into the academy were revealed in a press conference which took place in ÆON AU2, Setiawangsa.
Concert summaries
Tirai Concert First Air Date: 2 April 2011
StudentSong (original artist) Afif "Entah" (Afgan) "Joget Angan Tak Sudah" (Jay Jay) Aida "Separuh Nafas" (Dewa) "Love the Way You Lie (Part II)" (Rihanna) Amir "Aku Skandal" (Hujan) "Seribu Tahun" (Imran Ajmain) Azri "Kopi Dangdut" (Fahmi Shahab) "Yang Pernah" (Estranged) Eka "Cindai" (Dato' Siti Nurhaliza) "Ku Tlah Jatuh Cinta" (Agnes Monica) Erul "I'll Be Back" (2PM) "Kasih Tercipta" (Faizal Tahir) Kay "Ku Berjanji Kerna Cinta" (Anuar Zain) "Kasih Latifah" (Spider) Laika "Tolong Ingatkan Aku" (Ana Raffali) "Nuri" (Ella) Lena "Lamunan Hati" (Wann) "Dag Dig Dug" (Haiza) Miza "I Am" (Mary J. Blige) "Hey Ladies" (Rossa) Nera "Bertakhta Di Hati" (Farahdhiya) "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)" (Shakira) Raqib "Susun Silangkata" (Aizat) "Kaulah Segalanya" (Hazrul Nizam)
Note: Amy Search was announced as the Principal of this season at the end of this concert.
Week 1 First Air Date: 9 April 2011
StudentSong (original artist)Result Afif "Cinta Kristal" (Rahim Maarof) Safe Aida "Teringin" (Shima) Safe Amir "Just the Way You Are" (Bruno Mars) Safe Azri "Bukan Untuk Dimengerti" (Judika) Safe Eka "Kau Bisu" (Alyah) Bottom 3 Erul "Ganas" (KRU) Safe Kay "Menyesal" (6ixth Sense) Bottom 3 Laika "Ku Bahagia" (Melly Goeslaw) Eliminated Lena "Lagu Untuk Kuala Lumpur" (Tom) Safe Miza "Akhirnya Kini Pasti" (Anita Sarawak) Safe Nera "Aku Lebih Tahu" (Mila) Safe Raqib "Yank" (Wali Band) Safe Guest judge: Adibah Noor
Week 2 First Air Date: 16 April 2011
StudentSong (original artist)Result Afif "One in a Million" (Ne-Yo) Safe Aida "Ilusi" (Adira) Safe Amir "Cinta Gila" (Dewa) Bottom 3 Azri "Bila Resah" (Anuar Zain) Safe Eka "I'm Sorry Goodbye" (Krisdayanti) Eliminated Erul "Cinta Untuk Nabila" (Melissa) Safe Kay "Selagi Ada Rindu" (Kristal) Safe Lena "Kekal" (Ziana Zain) Safe Miza "Di Pintu Sepi" (Search) Bottom 3 Nera "Aku Dia dan Kamu" (D-Va) Safe Raqib "Dan Bila Esok" (Sofaz) Safe Guest judge: Fauziah Latiff
Week 3 First Air Date: 23 April 2011
StudentSong (original artist)Result Afif "Kasihnya Laila" (Jinbara) Safe Aida "Terlalu Istimewa" (Adibah Noor) Expelled Amir "Dilema" (D’Masiv) Expelled Azri "Satu" (Dewa) Bottom 2 Erul "Awan Nano" (Hafiz) Safe Kay "Salomé" (Chayanne) Safe Lena "Tiada Tangis Lagi" (Ella) Safe Miza "Sofea Jane" (Black) Eliminated Nera "Fly Me to the Moon" (Michael Bublé) Safe Raqib "Sebelum Cahaya" (Letto) Safe Guest judge: Norman KRU Note: Amir and Aida were expelled from the academy through 'AFGUGUR' after being deemed as the two students with the least improvement. They are replaced by Fina and Hazama based on the consensus achieved by the professional trainers through 'AFSERAP' scheme.
Week 4 First Air Date: 30 April 2011
StudentSong (original artist)Result Afif "Shoft B'enaiya" (Hossam Habib) Safe Azri "Sampai Syurga" (Faizal Tahir) Bottom 3 Erul "Wanita Seluruh Dunia" (Projek Pistol) Safe Fina "All by Myself" (Eric Carmen) Safe Hazama "Srikandi Cinta" (Bloodshed) Safe Kay "Kata" (Hazami) Bottom 3 Lena "It Must Have Been Love" (Roxette) Safe Nera "Diam Diam" (Tilu) Safe Raqib "Menghitung Hari" (Krisdayanti) Eliminated
Guest judge: Rudy Imran
Week 5 First Air Date: 7 May 2011
StudentSong (original artist)Result Afif "Malam" (Search) Eliminated Azri "Sungai Lui" (Aizat) Safe Erul "Dance Little Sister" (Terence Trent D'Arby) Safe Fina "Segalanya Pasti" (Aida Agil) Safe Hazama "Noktah Cinta" (Hafiz) Safe Kay "Pulanglah" (Awi Rafael) Bottom 3 Lena "Ku Menunggu" (Rossa) Safe Nera "Gelora Jiwa" (Saloma) Bottom 3
Guest judge: Edrie Hashim
Week 6 First Air Date: 14 May 2011
StudentSong (original artist)Result Azri "Sampai Hati" (Spring) Bottom 3 Erul "Janji" (Akim) Bottom 3 Fina "Ku Ke Udara Lagi" (Francissca Peter) Safe Hazama "Hey, Soul Sister" (Train) Safe Kay "Stand By Me" (Ben E. King) Eliminated Lena "Curiga" (Ning Baizura) Safe Nera "Kantoi" (Zee Avi) Safe
Guest judge: Faizal Tahir Note: A new format known as the immunity system was introduced in this concert where the professional trainers would be given the power to exercise a veto on a student to spare him or her from elimination for that particular week.
Week 7 First Air Date: 21 May 2011
StudentSong (original artist)Result All Students "Kalau Berpacaran" (Ana Raffali, Suhaimi Mior, & Altimet) N/A Azri "Mahligai Syahdu" (Hattan) Bottom 3 Erul "Antara Hujan dan Airmata" (Sudirman Arshad) Bottom 3 Fina "Purnama Merindu" (Dato' Siti Nurhaliza) Safe Hazama "Segalanya Kuterima" (Ilusi) Safe Lena "Cinta Sempurna" (Yuna) Safe Nera "Tak Ingin Sendiri" (Hetty Koes Endang) Eliminated
Guest judge: AC Mizal Note: Following the introduction of the immunity system in the previous concert, it was announced that the immunity system would only be implemented in the upcoming concert. In addition, the public voting would contribute as much as 50% towards the selection of a particular student to be the recipient of the immunity system.
Week 8 First Air Date: 28 May 2011
StudentSong (original artist)Result All Students "Bawaku Terbang" (The Fabulous Cats) "I Gotta Feeling" (The Black Eyed Peas) N/A Azri "Luar Biasa" (Shahir) Bottom 3 Erul "Bunga Angkasa" (Terra Rossa) Bottom 3 Fina "Samudera" (Nora) Immune Hazama "Sendiri" (May) Safe Lena "Kisah Hati" (Alyah) Saved
Guest judge: Sham Kamikaze Note: The choice of song for each student in this concert was determined by the audience. In addition, each student was given the opportunity to design the concept of their performance during the concert.
Week 9 First Air Date: 4 June 2011
StudentSong (original artist)Result All Students "Kalau Cinta" (Alif Aziz & Joanna) "Never Say Never" (Justin Bieber) N/A Azri "Here Without You" (3 Doors Down) Bottom 2 Erul "Nadiku" (Sabhi Saddi) Eliminated Hazama "Angin" (Dewa) Safe Lena "Badarsila" (Dato' Siti Nurhaliza) Safe
Guest judge: Dato' Siti Nurhaliza
Week 10 First Air Date: 12 June 2011
StudentSong (original artist)Result All Students "Firework" (Katy Perry) N/A Azri "Ku Tak Biasa" (Slank) "Niskala" (Azri) Fourth Fina "Satu Harapan" (Jaclyn Victor) "Menangis Lagi" (Fina) Third Hazama "Pukau" (Tomok) "Cinta Teragung" (Hazama) Winner Lena "Dunia" (Bunkface) "Sisa Kisah Kita" (Lena) Runner-up
Guest judge: Dato' Ramli M.S.
Students (ages stated are at time of contest)
StudentAgeHometownRankZulaikha "Laika" Zahari22Kuala Lumpur14thNuratiqah “Eka” Shariffudin21Kuala Lumpur13thRoshammizah "Miza" Rosli27Kuala Lumpur12thNur Suhada “Aida” Jebat19Malacca11thMohamad Amirullah "Amir" Jahari19Kuching, Sarawak10thFahrur Raqib Abdul Majid21Melaka9thAhmad Aliff Afif Tirmizie25Pekan, Pahang8thNur Khaidir Muhid23Sandakan, Sabah7thQueennera "Nera" Francine Francis Kitingon19Likas, Sabah6thKhairul “Erul” Najmuddin Abu Samah20Kuala Lumpur5thMohamad Azri Abdullah24Klang, Selangor4thNur Syafinaz "Fina" Jebat18Malacca3rdLenaber "Lena" Hadir21Kota Kinabalu, Sabah2ndHazama Ahmad Azmi27Perak1st
Summaries
Elimination chart
+ Voting Result in Rank OrderOrderWeekly Concert12345678910 1 Nera LenaLena Hazama Hazama Hazama Hazama Hazama Hazama Hazama 2 Erul Erul Erul Fina Fina Fina Fina Fina Lena Lena 3 Aida NeraNera Lena Lena Lena Lena Azri Azri Fina 4 Raqib Raqib Amir Erul Azri Nera Erul Erul Erul Azri 5 Lena Aida Afif Nera Erul Erul Azri Lena 6 Afif Afif Raqib Afif Nera Azri Nera 7 Amir AzriKay Azri Kay Kay 8 Azri Kay Aida Kay Afif 9Miza AmirAzriRaqib 10 Eka Miza Miza 11 KayEka Fina 12Laika Hazama
The student won the competition The student was the first runner-up The student was the second runner-up The student was the third runner-up The student was the original eliminee but was saved The student was eliminated The student was immune from elimination The students were expelled through Operasi Gugur or 'AFGUGUR' The students were entered into the competition, replacing students who were expelled through 'AFSERAP'
In Week 2, it was announced that students who do not show any improvement will be expelled from the academy and consequently be replaced with new students. In Week 3, following the announcement of Operasi Gugur, Aida and Amir are expelled from the competition after being deemed as the two students with the least improvement. Consequently, they are replaced by two new students, Fina and Hazama.