Singapore Idol

Singapore Idol is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by MediaCorp Studios and FremantleMedia Operations BV. It began airing on MediaCorp Channel 5 on August 9, 2004, as an addition to the Idol franchise based on the UK show Pop Idol, and became one of the most popular shows in the history of Singaporean television.

The concept of the series is to find new solo recording artists where the winner is determined by the viewers. Through telephone and SMS text voting, viewers have chosen as winners Taufik Batisah, Hady Mirza and Sezairi Sezali.

The series employs a panel of judges who critique the contestants' performances. The original four judges during season 1 were singer/songwriter Dick Lee, Florence Lian, record producer Ken Lim and singer Douglas Oliverio. In season 2, all the judges from season 1 returned to the show except for Oliverio who was replaced by singer Jacintha Abisheganaden. In season 3, Abisheganaden left the judging panel and the rest of the judges returned to the show. From the start, the show has been hosted by Singapore celebrity and funnyman Gurmit Singh. Radio deejay Daniel Ong was the co-host of the show for season 1 and 2, while season 2 winner Hady Mirza replaced him as the co-host during season 3.

Season 1 (2004)
Season 1 of Singapore Idol premiered on the National Day of Singapore (9 August) in 2004. This season produced a few memorable, albeit notorious, performers during the audition round. They included Skyy Sia aka Bananaman, who wore a mask of watermelon and bananas; Kelvin Sim, who accompanied his very bad rendition of Fool's Garden's "Lemon Tree" with a dance that rivalled that of William Hung; and Patrick Khoo, who literally whispered George Michael's "Careless Whisper".

As with other shows in the Idol series, the viewers' votes decide who goes on to the next round. This has always produced controversial results in every singing competition. In the third preliminary round, Jerry Ong, whose singing was described by judge Florence Lian as being "constipated" and "weak", was voted through to the finals, beating favourites Beverly Lim Morata and Nur "Nana" Hasanah, both of whom were thought to be better singers. Candice Foo, who got into the finals from the second week, withdrew from the contest at the last minute due to "financial difficulties". In a bigger upset, Jeassea K. Thyidor, considered by many to be a frontrunner in the competition, was eliminated in the very first round of the finals by a margin of 200 votes. This sparked a brief anti-Jerry campaign that lasted for the next 2 weeks until his elimination on October 15. In the final weeks of the Spectaculars, many speculated that Olinda Cho, one of the most consistent performers, would go on to the Grand Finals with Taufik Batisah, but Sylvester Sim, who had been in the Bottom 2/3 positions more than anyone else, made it through instead.

In the final showdown held at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on 1 December 2004, Taufik beat Sylvester with 62% of the votes to become the first Singapore Idol. The song both Taufik and Sylvester were required to sing was I Dream. Both received recording deals from Sony BMG on the same day. Taufik's album, Blessings, was released on 17 January 2005. Sylvester's album, Take Flight, was released on 8 April 2005. Another finalist, Maia Lee, also released an album titled Emotionally Advised on 20 August 2005. Olinda and Daphne would also release their debut alums in years to come. Sylvester was granted a release from Hype Records in mid-2006 due to personal problems.

Top 11 Weekly Song Themes

 * Top 11 theme: Parents' Choice
 * Top 9 theme: Rock 'N' Roll
 * Top 8 theme: Live Disco
 * Top 7 theme: Song by Favorite Singer
 * Top 6 theme: Big Band
 * Top 5 theme: R&B/Soul
 * Top 4 theme: Asian Pop
 * Top 3 theme: Movies and Musicals
 * Top 2 theme: Judges' Choice, Contestant's Choice and Winner's Single

Elimination Chart
1Candice Foo withdrew from the competition 1 day before the Top 12, citing "financial" reasons. Her departure was too last minute for any replacement to enter.

2The Top 11 elimination round featured a double elimination. Beverly Lim Morata was eliminated first, followed by Jeassea K Thyidor.

Season 2 (2006)
Auditions for season 2 were held on 11 February 2006 at *Scape in Orchard Road and was extended twice due to overwhelming response - 12 February at the same location and 19 February in Toa Payoh. The season premiered on 21 May with clips of the auditions. Dick Lee, Florence Lian and Ken Lim returned as judges while Douglas Oliverio was replaced by Jacintha Abisheganaden. After widespread criticism of his hosting abilities in season 1, Gurmit Singh was paired with Daniel Ong as co-hosts for season 2. Ex-contestant from Singapore Idol season 1 Daphne Khoo hosted Singapore Idol On Demand, an online subscription service that provided media downloads and exclusive footage of the show.

A day after the results for Piano Show #4 were announced, MediaCorp revealed that a computer glitch in the voting process had mistakenly sent Mathilda D'Silva into the top 12, instead of Nurul Maideen. Mathilda was placed in the wildcard show and was subsequently voted into the finals. Shortly after the technical glitch fiasco, frontrunner and wildcard contestant Meryl Joan Lee announced her withdrawal from the contest to focus on her studies.

The final 12 contestants were housed in Hangout @ Mount Emily, a budget hotel, for as long as they remained in the competition.

The Final Showdown for the title featured Jonathan Leong and Hady Mirza singing three songs each at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. Due to the frequency jam that took place in the first season, the finals was held on 2 separate days; the performance show on the 24th of September, and the results show on the 25th of September. One of the songs which both contestants sang was "You Give Me Wings", which became the winner's first single. On 25 September 2006, 26-year-old Hady Mirza was declared the winner of Singapore Idol 2006 with about 70% of the votes cast. Hady's self-titled debut album was released in mid November 2006. Hady would then go on to compete in Asian Idol and become the first Asian Idol in December 2007 in an upset victory.

Top 12 Weekly Song Themes

 * Top 12 theme: Parents' Choice
 * Top 11 theme: #1 Hits from 1996–2006
 * Top 10 theme: Classic Jazz
 * Top 9 theme: Songs by British Singers/Bands
 * Top 8 theme: Home, Family and Friends
 * Top 7 theme: Rock 'N' Roll
 * Top 6 theme: Asian Pop
 * Top 5 theme: R&B and Soul
 * Top 4 theme: Judges' Choice
 * Top 3 theme: Contestant's Favourites
 * Top 2 theme: Contestant's Choice from Judges' List, Spectaculars Encore & Winner's Single

Elimination Chart
1Meryl Joan Lee was originally offered a Wild Card slot, but she turned down the offer, officially eliminating herself from the competition.

Season 3 (2009)
On December 15, 2008, MediaCorp mentioned in its free-circulating-paper, TODAY, that Singapore Idol Season 3 would be one of the new programmes for 2009. The third installment comes three years after the previous.

Registration for Singapore Idol 3 officially started on 1 May 2009, and the season premiered right after the National Day Parade segment on August 9, 2009, 8.30pm on Channel 5.

Returning host Gurmit Singh co-hosted with Singapore Idol 2 winner Hady Mirza, replacing Season 2's Daniel Ong. The returning judges were Dick Lee, Florence Lian and Ken Lim, with Jacintha Abisheganaden leaving the show.

The Top 100 contestants were put up at Orchid Country Club for a week of intense auditions and training. They were then reduced to a Top 76 for a group round, Top 54 for an Idol first where the contestants write and compose a duet and perform it, then the Top 40 of sang-off at Caldecott Hill. Top 24 consisted of half the contestants (6 males and 6 females) performing each night on 2 separate Piano Shows for a spot in the Top 12. The Results Show was screened 30 minutes after the Performance Show. Voting began at the start of the Piano round at 8:00pm, and closed at 9:45pm (later extended to 10:00pm and finally to 10:15pm). The Top 3 public vote-getters, regardless of gender, advanced together with 3 of the judges choices per episode. Coincidentally, all the contestants who made it to the next round by public voting were male contestants. There was no Wild Card round for previously eliminated contestants, unlike the previous two seasons.

After the Top 12 was revealed during the second Piano Show results segment, the judges announced that Mae Sta Maria would join the 12 and form a surprise Top 13. The season has received mixed to negative feedback from fans due to the new rulings (absence of the Wildcard round, lack of a gender cap and voting beginning at the start of the show rather than at the end).

It was revealed on 14 September that MJ Kuok, who had gotten into the finals by public voting after Piano Show 1, had withdrawn from the competition on September 11, citing "personal reasons". The news was confirmed in 8 Days Magazine. He was then replaced by Nurul Huda from Piano Show 1. It was revealed that she had received the next highest number of public votes out of all the other eliminated contestants.

This season also introduced the "Judges' Save", similar to American Idol Season 8, which could be used only when the judges unanimously decide to save an eliminated contestant up to and until the Top 5. The save was ultimately not used, when the judges decided not to save Faizal Isa, who was eliminated in 5th place. In retrospect, except for the Top 13 Results Show, where Gurmit explicitly asked the judges if they wanted to save Syltra Lee, the judges' save was hardly, if only briefly, mentioned.

Another first for the franchise was a surprise non-elimination round during the Top 4 Results Show on 25 November, similar to American Idol Season 6, although, unlike the American version where the bottom group was never revealed, Charles and Tabitha were revealed to be the bottom two.

The order for the final performance show was decided by a coin toss immediately after the Top 3 elimination show. Sylvia won and decided to go first. The Grand Finale, unlike Season 2, was not a two-night event. The performance was aired at 8:00pm and the results show at 10:00pm. It was held at the Singapore Indoor Stadium with a full capacity of 12,000. The special guest was international recording artist Charice where she performed 3 songs which included her first single Note to God. The Singapore Idol stage will be torn down from the MediaCorp studio permanently thereafter.

This season was abound with controversy. During the Top 8 and 7, while the judges claimed both nights as "girls' nights", the girls filled up the bottom groups. This resulted in extensive media promotion for the females left in the competition, and the idea of a female idol was fueled by both the judges and the episodic trailers. However, the last male standing in the Final 3, Sezairi Sezali, still ultimately won, receiving 61% of the votes cast in the finale. While Sylvia became the first female to make it to the finals, Sezairi's win makes all three Singapore Idol winners young Malay males.

Group 1
Nurul Huda was originally eliminated but was invited back to the competition as a replacement of MJ Kuok, who withdrew from the competition after being voted into the top 13 by the public.
 * Group performance: "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'"

Group 2

 * Group performance: "Burnin' Up"

Top 13 – Chart Toppers

 * Group performance: "I Don't Care"

Top 12 – The Year I Was Born

 * Group performance: "You Give Me Wings"

Top 10 – A Tribute to Michael Jackson

 * Group performance: "Black or White"

Top 9 – For Someone Special
On the results show, no "bottom three" was announced as the voting results were announced in "random order". Gurmit Singh announced the safe contestants one by one. After Sylvia, Faizal, Malaque, Duane, Tabitha and Sezairi were announced as safe, Charles, Mae and Fathin were the last three remaining. Gurmit Singh then eliminated Amira immediately. Charles and Mae were not necessarily among the bottom three vote-getters that week.
 * Group performance: "Just Stand Up!"

Top 8 – Mambo Mania

 * Group performance: "Just Can't Get Enough"

Top 7 – My Folks Love This

 * Group performance: "Ain't No Mountain High Enough"

Top 6 – Killing Me Softly (with This Song)

 * Group performance: "Boys and Girls"

Top 5 – You Asked for It
On the results show, the "bottom two" was not announced. Gurmit Singh first revealed that Charles and Tabitha were in the "bottom three". Gurmit then eliminated Faizal immediately and the other contestant which was in the "bottom two" together with Faizal was unknown.
 * Group performance: "I Gotta Feeling"

Top 4 (first week) – A Song for a Cause
On the results show, Gurmit Singh revealed that Tabitha and Charles were in the "bottom two". However, the two contestants were then declared safe together with Sylvia and Sezairi and no one was eliminated. Gurmit Singh stated that it was a surprise non-elimination round and votes for that week would be carried over to the following week. The contestant with the lowest combined votes over the two weeks would be eliminated the following week.

Top 4 (second week) – Step Up & Dance!

 * Group performance: "Dance Floor Anthem (I Don't Want to Be in Love)"

Top 2 – Favourite Performance / Contestant's Choice / Winner's Single

 * Group performance: "I Gotta Feeling" / "Bad Romance" / "Boom Boom Pow"

Elimination chart
1Nurul Huda was originally eliminated during the Piano Show 1. However, she was called back after MJ Kuok withdrew from Singapore Idol and she replaced MJ Kuok on the final 13.

2MJ Kuok was originally joined in the top 13. A few days later, he withdrew from Singapore Idol, citing "personal reasons".

Post-Idol
Of the thirteen semi-finalists, only the Top 3 contestants have continued to remain in the public eye. Sezairi Sezali and Sylvia Ratonel have released their debut studio albums, Take Two and Sylvia Ratonel respectively. Singles were released from the album and have made it into the Top 10 on the 987FM Top 20 Chart, with the best-performing single being Sylvia Ratonel's "It's Raining" (it peaked at #3). While Tabitha Nauser has not released an album, she collaborated with international artists Sean Kingston, Steve Appleton, Jessica Mauboy and Jody Williams on the official theme song to the 2010 Youth Olympics, "Everyone". Nauser was given the opening lines of the first verse, and her vocals can be heard harmonizing with the other artists in the choruses and bridge. The song was released as a CD single, which included an acoustic version of "Everyone" performed by Nauser alone. Successful airplay of the song made "Everyone" reach #1 on the 987FM Top 20 Chart, making Tabitha Nauser the first Singaporean vocalist, at least in recent years, to achieve that feat. "Everyone" remained on the top spot for 2 weeks.

Criticism
Singapore Idol has been criticized for a lack of talented contestants, the most prominent of which being Joakim Gomez in Season 2, who was dubbed the Sanjaya Malakar of Singapore for remaining in the live shows over an extended period of time even after consistent criticism from the judges. The third season of Singapore Idol was particularly noted for an insupportable budget. Live performances relied solely on solo performances by the contestants, without any performance choreography, backup dancers, pyrotechnics or other spectacular theatrical effects.

The show has also produced a low number of recording artistes, as well as artistes that have little influence over Singaporean pop culture, largely due to the predominance of American pop music and K-Pop.