Singapore Idol Hady Mirza has scored yet another first in his showbiz career.
The 28-year-old winner of last year's Asian Idol and 2006 Singapore Idol winner will be singing this year's National Day Parade (NDP) theme song in English, Shine For Singapore, composed by Benny Wong. Singer Joi Chua will be singing the Mandarin version of the song.
For the first time, designer Frederick Lee has taken charge of the costumes for the parade itself as well.
Said Hady on singing the theme song at an NDP: "It's a dream come true. I'm very honoured, very proud."
In an interview with my paper, he described how he would watch the parade with his family back at the Padang.
Said Hady: "In the past, I got to watch singers like Stefanie Sun singing the theme song.
"(Singing it myself) is something I've always wanted to do even before Singapore Idol, it's an event when the whole of Singapore will be watching."
Hady is also recording his next album, produced by Hype Records. It is due to hit stores late next month or in September.
He will also star in a new Channel 5 show, A Sense Of Home, later this year.
Hady Mirza will Shine For Singapore at NDP
Thursday, July 17, 2008Hardy Mirza
Sunday, December 30, 2007
A perfect pitch, a mesmerizing voice coupled with the boy-next-door charms… these qualities epitomize Hady Mirza.
Exuding an incomparable charismatic aura, Hady has proven himself worthy of garnering the title of Singapore Idol 2006. In addition to a self-titled debut album that has already hit platinum status within 1 month of sales, SingPost has also recognized his achievements by commissioning a set of self-image stamps for him. Rather than bathe in past glory, the singer has been actively self-penning for his second album, hoping to inspire the audience with his music.
Not forgetting the less fortunate, Hady, demonstrating a personal resiliency equal to that of his professional life, has also became a very public advocate for charity through involvement in events for beneficiaries including MILK, Minds etc.
Hardy Mirza the ASIAN IDOL!
The result is OUT. Hardy Mirza is the 1st ASIAN Idol! Is so surreal. My jaw literally dropped when the result was announced. He has gone a long way.. since his days in Temasek Poly. I nicknamed him "bag kuning" back then. He was the shy, decent guy carrying a bright yellow havesack. I remembered him liking this particular gal... but that is another story.
None of the judges rooted for him. Nobody expected him to win. Shame to say, though I voted for him, I wasn't expecting for him to grab the title either. Is just so unbelievable. I mean he was against other big countries with millions of population. His chance did seem slim against those giants. But I'm glad he persevere and not deter by this very fact and went on to compete for the title. He sang and won the hearts of many.
Hardy Mirza, u make Singapore proud. Congratulation, "bag kuning"!
Hady Mirza is the first Asian Idol
Twenty-seven year old Hady Mirza becomes the first Asian Idol when he bested five other ‘idol’ contestants held Sunday, December 16, 2007 in Jakarta, Indonesia.
He sang ‘Beautiful Day’ by U2 and Singaporean song ‘Berserah’ during the performance show a night before which earned him the ticket to his way to being the first Asian Idol.
Hardy’s victory was, in a way, unexpected especially that neither of the judges present during the results show predicted him to win in Asian Idol 2007.
Favorites to win were Mau Marcelo of the Philippines and Mike Mohede of Indonesia.
At any rate though, Hady and the other five contestants were all deserving to win. That’s why they’re called “Idol” in their respective countries.
Why Jaclyn did not win Asian Idol title?
Sunday, December 23, 2007There are several reasons why Malaysian Idol Jaclyn Victor did not make it at the Asian Idol Contest.
The first of these is her habit, which is a common Malaysian habit, of dragging words rather than singing them out straight.
Her second setback was her over-glamorous outfits. It would have been better had she dressed in a sarong kebaya or baju kurung rather than colourful outfits, which could have turned many off. The third would be lack of home support, which means that the local media did not promote or support her prior to the show.
The fourth, Malaysians have the tendency to look at who the person is before getting hooked up.
Hopefully, in future, the media, notably local TV, will be more supportive.
It was this factor that made Singapore Idol Hardy Mirza a success.
He had his nation behind him, and when you add the second vote, he made it big.
Jaclyn could have made it with local support.
'Are you kidding me?'
Wednesday, December 19, 2007WHAT a jaw-dropper.
Singapore Idol Hady Mirza winning regional singing competition Asian Idol was an upset victory that not even his biggest supporter could've expected, especially since he was up against a field of contenders who boasted more powerful voices and compelling personalities.
But no one seemed more stupefied than the dark horse himself.
Right after the result was announced last night at the television event held at Jakarta International Expo, the 27-year-old R&B crooner looked like he'd been hit by a truck.
He immediately collapsed on his knees and covered his face with his hands.
He finally regained his composure and got back on his feet as the other Idols' reps congratulated him.
Teary-eyed and still-shocked Hady was seen mouthing the words 'Are you kidding me?' to them.
Philippines' Mau Marcello
We have the smallest population compared to Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and India, yet Hady somehow managed to gain the majority of millions of SMS votes cast from the six participating countries during last night's results show.
Besides bragging rights, he also pocketed an all-expenses-paid round-the-world trip on business class.
Just minutes before his name was announced, the panel of regional judges was predicting hot favourites like Indonesia's Mike Mohede, the Philippines' Mau Marcello and Malaysia's Jaclyn Victor to emerge tops.
Indian judge Anu Malik even named Hady when he said 'upsets happen, so we have to be prepared for that'.
On Saturday night's performance show, it seemed as if Hady was at the bottom of the totem pole as he didn't exactly bowl the judges over.
He belted out the Malay song Berserah and U2's Beautiful Day.
Malaysia's Paul Moss sniped about his first song: 'You capture people's hearts with your looks and performance, not so much with your voice... You make (singing) look difficult while the others make it look easy. Voice-wise, you will struggle against the rest.'
For Beautiful Day, a still-unimpressed Moss paid a backhanded compliment: 'You're almost too good-looking for the song. It needs a real rock attitude, and your voice ran out of power and range at the peaks.'
Malaysia's Jaclyn Victor
Only Singapore judge Ken Lim, director of Hype Records and Hady's boss, was kind - for once.
He said: '...you kept it real and sincere - you finally justified being Singapore's idol.'
For Hady's second song, he encouraged: 'You look like a singer and you sound like a winner... The Asian Idol is going to be someone with the most appeal rather than the best singer.'
As always, it looks like Ken was right.
The Electric New Paper, Singapore - The Electric New Paper News
The rise and rise of Hady Mirza
SINGAPORE : It was a win that brought him to his knees, but if you look at the road to success for Hady Mirza, you can see the signposts that brought him there.
He wasn't pegged as one of the male favourites but the 27-year-old from Singapore emerged as winner of the Asian Idol competition that pitted six Idol winners from India, Indonesia, Vietnam, The Philippines, Singapore and Malaysia last Sunday.
"Did you think I would win? I didn't. Not even for a moment," he told TODAY on Monday morning. "This is not for my personal glory, but for Singapore."
Hady's journey to this "Singapore glory" began as a schoolboy at Beng Wan Primary School. Born Jan 28, 1980, his earliest musical memory is of himself as a seven-year-old singing Toto's I'll Be Over You during the 10-minute walk to his Serangoon Road school. And at his grandmother's house, he'd be "flanked by a guitar-wielding uncle on one side and a Madonna-crazy auntie on the other".
The Siglap Secondary School alumnus got his first taste of performing when he joined hip-hop groups while in National Service, but that experience did not last.
While still in NS, he hooked up with Taufik Batisah and fellow local artiste Adib for a set at Hard Rock Café, which he has described as "one of the most memorable gigs I've ever done".
But it was only after his NS stint in 2002 that things started rolling. He auditioned — and got — the singer's spot with Raw Energy, the resident band at the now-defunct Manchester United-themed Devil's Bar.
"Taufik also came to audition," recalled Dennis Foo, the man behind Devil's Bar, and now the CEO of St James Power Station. "Of the two, I had to pick one, so I picked Hady.
"Last year, when Hady won Singapore Idol, he SMSed me, it was still 'Thanks, boss'," joked Foo.
"Now it's just 'Thanks, Dennis!' He's easygoing, you know? When you call someone, 'a real cool guy' — that's Hady. He's soft-spoken, he won't talk too much, but he delivers everything vocally onstage."
Hady showcased his stuff at Devil's Bar six nights a week, wowing the crowds with a diverse range — from sweet soulful sounds, to all-out rockin' tunes — before the opportunity to appear on Singapore Idol 2 came early last year.
His emphatic victory — he garnered about 70 per cent of the votes — led to a debut eponymous album, which achieved platinum status in four days and won him Most Popular Artiste (Singapore) and Most Popular Song (Singapore) at Anugerah Planet Muzik 2007, a yearly Malay music award show that celebrates music from Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.
"Singapore Idol changed me a little bit, but I try to go through my day as normally as possible," he said.
"Normal" includes spending as much time as possible with his family.
"Most of the time we do normal family stuff, like makan (eat), just be together."
He used to help out with the family stall at Geylang Serai during Ramadan, selling roasted meat.
"We would start roasting the chickens from five in the afternoon until 2am. I can say that for the entire 30 days of fasting, my body reeked of smoke."
But of course, those days are far behind. Where does he go from here?
"I hope that one day, Hady will hold his own concert in the Indoor Stadium," said Foo. "If you see 8,000 or 10,000 people turn up for Hady Mirza then you'll know he's really made it."