Fake-ETTO

Singapore Idol season is back, and we witness the aspiring contestants either shine, or crash and burn badly during their 15 minutes of fame on the talent reality show. These young individuals come in all shapes and sizes. Those lacking in looks try to make up in dress sense (fake eyelashes and "jeebra preens" included). And of course, their singing. But honestly, many of them pale in comparison to some KTV-holics that I know. I guess what's keeping the show alive is the enormity of inglorious media and audience adulation.

It is interesting most are trying to impersonate their favourite pop stars. Perhaps Tintin is biased. He is hoping to see some falsetto queens. No, they don't really have to be females, as long they can hit those high notes in lithely breathy whispers without sounding like a pubescent boy that is "breaking his voice".

It will be better if they sound like these folks:

1. Gigi Leung 梁咏琪. Thanks to my JC classmate R, I have joined the dark side i.e. the ranks of hot blooded men infatuated with this chiobu (pretty girl in local dialect). Yes, she totally defies the ageing process. In fact, I think she's getting prettier as she hit her 30s. Darn, my 老女人毛病又发作了. Anyway, this lady's acting / singing career has been eclipsed by a scandalous relationship that earned her the notorious "boyfriend snatcher" reputation. But who cares? Guys in Hong Kong should be quite glad that she is single again!

"偏见" - 梁咏琪

2. Crowd Lu 卢广仲 . This guy with ZERO fashion sense ought to be sent to a concentration camp with Project Runway's Miss Jay and Tim Gunn to be re-educated on what's pretty and what's not. Other than the incredibly silly haircut and obiang (geeky in local dialect) spectacles, his songs either make you a freako emo wreck or a leave you high and gay after a bad day at work. I prefer the happy mood, just for this post. =)

"一百种生活" - 卢广仲

3. Tanya Chua 蔡健雅. She is possibly one of the talents in Mandopop that we can truly call Singaporean. I HEART her Color TV Set days when she was a rare successful indie rock chick. She has since moved on to the Mandarin pop scene, but I still love the way she hit those high registers in those melancholic songs.

"当你离开的时候" - 蔡健雅

4. Z Chen 张智诚. This is one male Mandopop singer that I really like. Although he has a nonsensical English name, this Malaysian adik has done his country proud by replicating his success after a 2 years break. Malaysia Boleh!

"残骸" - 张智诚