Malaysian Idol Spectacular 4: Xerra is out!

Injustice! Poor Xerra (or her real name Tengku Hamisah Zaharah bt. Tengku Zaimi Azlan) is the latest contestant to leave Malaysian Idol 2 tonight. I could not help feeling sorry for her when she broke down during her last rendition of ku mohon made popular by Shiela Majid. She must be wondering why she is leaving this early while other less capable contestants still remain.

Paul was spot on to say that Xerra will be the one leaving the show this week. His justification was Xerra has been one of the bottom three for the past few weeks despite pulling off great performances. She did not manage a reasonably good one this week. So she looks very vulnerable. But she is definitely not the worst performer this week.

Well, if you judge by the trend in the voting for the past few weeks, it wouldn't be a surprise. But if it is based on talent, then it is really harsh to see Xerra off the show at this stage. Among the 7 remaining finalists, I think she is much better than Faizull and Ash in terms of vocal, personality and especially stage persona. Her 10-year experience as a band singer was evident in her every performance.

Anyway, as we all know, not all the time the best talents will get to stay, even in American Idol. For example, Faizull may have a decent voice of a rocker, but he paled in comparison when it comes to other aspects as a performer. He even broke down after his performance in Spectacular 4, most likely due to his meltdown towards the end of his performance. This incident, coupled by his image and personality surely did not make him look like a prospective signing for any record company. However, I won't be surprised if his 'orang kampung' image carries him far into the competition. Are we looking for a Juara Kampung? I surely hope not. We need someone who has great personality and is able to compete at international level in order to project a good image of Malaysia at World Idol.

Somehow I think I know why Xerra is not popular among the Malaysian public. I am afraid it has nothing to do with talent. I prefer not to divulge my theory due to the sensitivity of the subject.

In conclusion, the voting results thus far has shown that Malaysians are not really voting based on talents. It is kind of sad. But even George W Bush could become President of United States, yadda yadda yadda...

Read the entries at this message board and you will learn the level of maturity of some Malaysians.

With her great talent, let's hope that Xerra will land herself a recording contract soon in order to move up a step in her singing career. I'm sure recording companies should know how to appreciate a singer like her.

To the Malaysian public, I urge that in coming weeks you will treasure and appreciate the best talents available. Be responsible, objective and vote for a Malaysian Idol all of us can be proud of.