Singapore Idol
| Singapore Idol | |
| Singapore Idol Finalists (with dates of elimination) | |
| Season 1 (2004) | |
| Muhammad Taufik Batisah | Winner |
| Sylvester Sim | 1 December |
| Olinda Cho | 19 November |
| Daphne Khoo | 12 November |
| Leandra Veronica Rasiah | 5 November |
| Christopher Michael Lee | 29 October |
| Maia Lee | 22 October |
| Jerry Ong | 15 October |
| David Yeo | 8 October |
| Beverly Lim Morata | 1 October |
| Jessea K. Thyidor | 1 October |
| Candice Foo | withdrawn |
Singapore Idol is a television show that premiered on MediaCorp TV on August 9 2004. It is a contest to find the best young singer in Singapore. Like others in the Idol series, it is modelled after Pop Idol. The judges are Dick Lee, Douglas Oliverio, Florence Lian and Ken Lim. The show is hosted by Gurmit Singh and Daniel Ong. Singapore Idol is produced by MediaCorp Studios and FremantleMedia Operations BV.
Season 1 (2004)
Season 1 of Singapore Idol premiered on the National Day of Singapore (August 9) 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; Patrick Khoo, who literally whispered Wham!'s "Careless Whisper"; and Steven Lim, who stripped down to a pair of yellow swimming trunks.
As with other shows in the Idol series, the viewers' votes decide who goes on to the next round. This sometimes produces controversial results. In the third preliminary round, Jerry Ong, whose singing was described by judge Florence Lian as being constipated, was voted through to the finals, beating favourites Beverly Lim Morata and Nur Hasanah (Nana).
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 a mere 200 votes. Her premature exit was variously attributed to her guarded persona, complacency of her supporters and her nationality (she was originally from Canada).
In the final showdown held at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on December 1, 2004, Muhammad Taufik Batisah beat Sylvester Sim with 62% of the votes to become the first Singapore Idol. Both received recording deals from Sony BMG. Taufik's album, Blessings, was released on 17 January 2005. Sylvester's album, Take Flight, was released in April 2005.
Maia Lee also became the first female finalist to have a solo album under her belt. Her English album titled Emotionally Advised, was released on 20 August 2005, album sales figures have not been released yet, as Singapore's RIAS charts have ceased mid-2005.
The relationship of Maia Lee and Sylvester Sim caused quite a commotion when they were reported to have registered to marry. Both parties later confessed that they had cancelled this wedding plan and broken up.
Season 2 (2006)
Auditions for Season 2 of Singapore Idol were held on 11 February 2006 at *Scape in Orchard Road. Registration began online at the official website. Out of the four judges from Singapore Idol 1, only three remain: Dick Lee, Florence Lian and Ken Lim. Douglas Oliverio is replaced by Jacintha Abisheganaden. Gurmit Singh, the host of Singapore Idol 1 and Singapore Idol 2, is joined by Daniel Ong as co-host.
Due to overwhelming response, auditions were extended twice: 12 February at the same location, and 19 February in Toa Payoh. Singapore Idol Season 2 premiered on Channel 5 on 21 May. Many of Season 1's ousted contestants came back to try their luck such as Patrick Khoo aka Careless Whisper. Another contestant, Shirin Hushairi, who made it to the Top 32 in Season 1, was cut in the Top 80.
This time, instead of the Hilton Hotel, the contestants stayed at Downtown East resort due to budget constraints. Whole blocks were booked to accommodate 60 to 80 contestants.
The first group of 7 (boys) include Levin Ng, Paul Twohill, Jonathan Leong, James Tay, Terence Tay, Janson Tay and Norman Then. Terence Tay is well-known for his role in local sitcom, "Living With Lydia" and Jonathan Leong is a professional fencer but gave it up for studies and to pursue singing.
Ex-contestant Daphne Khoo is hosting Idol-On-Demand, an exclusive backstage look at what goes on behind the scenes of Singapore Idol, on the official Singapore Idol website.