Sure, their journeys were a bit bumpier, but they did it! Mathilda, Jay, Gayle and Norman have made it into the Top 12! In the Wildcard results show last night, emotions (and temperatures) ran high, and we had a little chat with the Wildcard-ers about their journey thus far and what lies ahead.
The Singapore Idol Wildcard show was a second and final chance for seven idol hopefuls to get back into the ring.
At last night Wildcards results show, Mathilda, Jay, Gayle and Norman emerged as the new four to join the Top 12. Unlike the Piano Shows whose results depended solely on viewers’ votes, the Wildcard results were in part decided by the four judges Dick, Florence, Jacintha and Ken and the other half was decided by viewers’ votes.
Mathilda and Jay were the people’s choice while Gayle and Norman were handpicked by the judges to get through to the next round.
When asked how she felt being picked by the judges instead of the public, Gayle opines: “I’m thankful to the judges for getting me this far, picking me for the Wildcard and all, but in the end the choice for Singapore Idol is up to the public, and I’m really hoping on the people to vote for me and not rely on the judges so much. Because I’m not going to get anywhere without the people’s votes.”
Norman on the other hand, feels that getting in via judge’s choice was something to be grateful for, and he did not feel that it mattered whether he was picked by the viewers or by the judges. Although he agrees with a cheeky smile that viewers’ votes would have given him a “huge ego boost.” When asked if he knew why he was picked, the laidback soccer fan said he had “absolutely no idea.”
Jay and Mathilda, on the other hand, had a really rough night. Jay got all emotional when on stage after it was announced he was in the Top 12, crying so hard he could barely sing his rendition of Solitaire.
But Jay gave his all into his song even when overwhelmed with emotions, and the audience in turn gave him a standing ovation. When he had calmed down, we asked him how he felt and he smiled sheepishly. “I feel a bit weird about it, but I think it’s not wrong to cry.”
Ironically, the judges had chided him in the past for not putting enough emotion into his songs.
At the Wildcard performance show, the judges still felt he was holding back his emotions in his rendition of Solitaire but the singing teacher is confident that he will improve: “They said I was a technical singer, but I plan to work on that.”
Mathilda on the other hand, had come down with the flu on the day of the performance, which is just about every performer’s nightmare, but she trudged on against the orders of her doctor.
Despite her sickness, her rendition of Whitney Houston’s Run To You was anything but weak though, but she claims it wasn’t easy to pull off.
“I had to restrain myself from coughing, I was like ‘oh God Singapore is going to hear me cough!’
You can’t blame her for falling sick though; the poor girl had the roughest week, what with the “You’re in! Wait, no, technical glitch, you’re in the wildcard” fiasco.
We asked whether she felt cautious to celebrate early in case it happened again, she says laughingly: “There’s a part of me that’s going ‘Is this real, is this real?’ Maybe having this cough is a good thing, because it’s taking priority over everything else. Feeling sick leaves me with no time to think of anything.”
However, being wildcard contestants meant they had lost out to the other Top 12 members before. Did they feel they have what it takes to compete and come out on top in the next round of competition - The Spectaculars?
Gayle opted for a ‘Miss Universe world peace’ type answer, saying, “They are all very talented, and I think just being in the same competition as them is blessing. And I believe singing is about sharing the love of music, and that’s what we do!”
From now till the Spectaculars…
“Three steps: work- out, keep healthy, watch less World Cup, and practice, practice, practice. Wait, that’s 6 steps.”
- Norman, the new Count Dracula on Sesame Street
“I’m going to mix it up with a fast song, something you can groove to. I’ll be movin’ and groovin’ too!”
- Gayle- the next teen bopper?
“Pour out my heart, soul, lungs and arteries and everything lah! I hope that I can connect to the audience and they will enjoy my performance.”
- Biology for Beginners by Mathilda
“I want to sing a song which tells my own story, which shows the audience who I am.”
- Jay, with his audio autobiography
Will the four “wild carders” turn into “wow carders”? Catch the Top 12 battle it out in the Spectaculars from July 12, every Wednesdays 8pm and the Results Show every Thursday at 8.30pm! Before that, get upclose with the Top 12 as we re-trace their journey with never before seen footage in a special episode next Wed, Jul 5, 8.30pm!
