One in A Million comes to an end…with a few surprises
The One in A Million finale last Friday night at the Putra World Trade Centre started out just like any other reality singing competition: there was the proverbial red carpet littered with glamorous celebrites (think Ning Baizura, Cheryl Samad, Malaysian Idol 2’s Daniel, Faizura, Jaclyn Victor and Nita of Idol 2), each with a favourite contestant to root for. And then the beautiful hosts, decked out in the finest designer wear, against a stylist backdrop and stage.
Of course the top three finalists didn’t have it too bad either. Not only did they have the undivided attention of their fans at the show and at home, they came decked out in designer wear themselves: the very lucky Suki, Alif and Faizal sported Armani Exchange for the night. Not to be left out were judges Paul Moss and Syafinaz Selamat, who dazzled in her silvery Christian Dior gown.
The “perfect” setting was only accentuated further by the “perfect” opening song by the three finalists—Michael Bolton’s “Go The Distance”. The three harmonised so well together that for a moment, you could’ve been fooled into believing that they were part of a musical troupe and not competitors for the same prize. And what better end to a perfect song than a burst of golden confetti?
But even in fairytale finales, reality bites. Oh bite indeed it did when hosts Awal and Marion welcomed the top three onstage for the elimination round. And as many predicted, the axe fell on 28-year old singer-songwriter Faizal, who received the lowest number of votes for the week.
Predictably, 8TV allowed Faizal to continue performing (allowing the popular rocker to be eliminated so early on would’ve likely been show suicide otherwise) and thus gain him a second chance at the top spot. As soon as the voting window opened, members of the audience began SMS-g furiously, which kept on throughout the show.
After that spanner was thrown in the works, it would’ve been tough for hard-core Alif, Suki and Faizal supporters to concentrate 100 per cent on the rest of the top 12 who performed. But being the good Malaysian audience they are, they managed cheers and claps when the rest of the top 12—amongst them favourite Ching who rocked the house with Anouk’s “Weak As I Am”, Zai, Farah, Mimi, Aliya, Anny and the boys Ameen, Lokman and Azfar showed up to perform selections from their time in the show. Dayang sang a full solo, Destiny Child’s “Survivor”. 17-year old Sabahan Nor Ayu, a top 40 favourite, also impressed with Ratu’s “Teman Tapi Mesra”.
However it was the top three that the audience wanted, and deliver they did, each with an original composition and song of choice. First up was 16-year old Alif who sang the original “Khayal” (by Audi Mok and Shah Shamsiri), which hit all the right notes with judge Syafinaz. Suki followed suit with her catchy original “Berdiri” (Mok and Rafidah Abdullah), in a cutesy, winsome performance that Syafinaz liked, but Paul thought was “average”.
Faizal fared a little better with the judges with his original “Maha Karya Cinta” (Mok and Shah Shamsiri), prompting encouragement from Syafinaz: “Faizal, these people love you but now people need to vote, not just cheer. I think it’s a beautiful song, you can be a ‘pelapis’ to rock artistes.”
The second round from the three proved even better. Alif kicked off the set with a lively (and dare we say sexy?) 98 Degree’s “Una Noche Mas”. Suki followed with the rather bland “Everything” by M2M, but with enough energy and spirit to make people actually sit up and listen. Paul and Syafinaz both gave their nods of approval, with Paul going a step further by actually proclaiming “Suka banyak-banyak”, eliciting loud guffaws from the audience.
Nothing however, could prepare the audience for Faizal’s rendition of Queen’s “We Will Rock You”, which brought the house down. The diminutive rocker again displayed his creativity and excellent showmanship by changing the song into a medley of his popular performances in the show. It seemed that he was determined to give a great show, regardless of whether he won or not. Almost as if he wanted to ensure people would remember him.
It turned out prophetic. Once the standing ovations and the deafening audience applause died down, it was results time and as was expected, the RM1 million check had Suki’s name plastered all over it. A hush fell over the audience before they erupted in cheers, while the rest of the top 12 went onstage to console Faizal and Alif and congratulate Suki. The 17-year old broke into tears, but was calm and confident during the after show press conference.
It was a close tie however, between Faizal and Suki. By crowning time, Suki had received 39% of the 120,000 votes cast by the public the entire week, followed by Faizal with 34% and Alif 27%. (Izham Omar chief executive officer of 8TV later revealed that the total number of SMS votes received during the duration of the show was 550,000.)
When asked how she felt a radiant Suki said that she was happy and thanked Malaysia for believing in her capability. She added that she would be going back to school soon and would be discussing her career plans with her parents and 8TV.
With her vocal talent and marketability, it came as little surprise that Suki became the first One in A Million. A public darling, Suki has never been in the bottom three, a feat that not even Dayang has been able to accomplish.
When asked about the utilization of the RM1 million prize, bearing in mind that Suki is still a minor, Izham Omar revealed that the prize money is currently in a trustee account managed by 8TV, where part of the money will go to Suki and recording her album. “We’ll work with her parents, we also have a management arm and a recording arm and we’ll offer her support,” he affirmed. /p>
Suki’s win did bring questions of “did the most deserving person win” from the media present, a chicken-and-egg situation when the decision is in the Malaysian public’s hands and not music industry professionals.
BH asked judges Paul and Syafinaz who they would have picked as winner if the entire competition had been majority judges’ votes and the rest SMS votes from the public. Cryptic and clever as ever Syafinaz would only say: “Tonight might have been different, because all of them performed well.” Paul however, was more to the point: “Honestly, Faizal is the most ready at the moment. Suki will have to spend time learning and paying her dues. If it was based on who’s more ready, it would be Faizal. But if we were like a venture capitalist, looking for a long term investment the answer might be different.” With age on her side, talent and looks and 8TV’s confidence in her, Suki’s star is definitely set to be on the rise.
While many have said that the quality and diversity of talent that the first season of One in A Million churned out are far better than the Malaysian Idols (with the exception of a few standouts from these shows), 8TV still has a long way to go to build the One in A Million brand. Take for instance the SMS votes; One in A Million had a total of 550,000 SMS votes from the Malaysian public versus the reported close to 2 million public SMS votes received in Malaysian Idol 2.
Building the One in A Million brand should be more than doable for 8TV, who has the experience of two Malaysian Idols under its belt and a good headstart with the first season of One in A Million, bringing to Malaysian TV screens an interesting show format, compelling contestants and a feisty judging pair in Paul and Syafinaz.
Source :
oneinamillion @ bluehyppo
