Never mind that eliminated idol Jay Lim’s fans didn’t send in torpedoes of SMS votes to keep their favourite singing instructor in, he still loves them for their silent support. But he wonders aloud on his rendition of Robbie Williams’ Supreme: “That song, did it spook a lot of people?”



Somewhere in the middle of our 45-min interview with music instructor Jay Lim this morning, he shoots us a perplexed look in response to our query on his fans before saying, “I don’t encounter much fans at roadshows!”

We venture a guess. Maybe they’re at home looking after the kids? Sipping high tea at chi chi restaurants? Or…

Jay doesn’t know. “That’s really something to ponder about… I’ve been in four spectaculars, but I really don’t see much supporters. So where are these people?”

Okay, so maybe Jay — who affectionately calls himself ‘Jurong J’ in reference to his ‘hood — just doesn’t appeal to the crazy teen voters. You know, the fanatic ones who’d starve in the canteen to save up for these SMS votes or wait outside MediaCorp to throw loving gazes in.

Don’t get us wrong though, Jay likes the no-appearance fans just fine. He figures they’re really reserved folks who don’t fancy no pawing or clawing at roadshows.

“Seriously, I don’t need my supporters to scream for me, line up or print big banners for me. In the end, I just hope I’ve done something they enjoy.”

The latest to have his Idol dreams snubbed, Jay received the lowest vote last night with yet another pitch-perfect rendition of Robbie Williams’ chart-topping hit Supreme for the fourth spectacular with the British hit theme.

Where were Jay’s fans? Not voting as hard as they should, for sure.

Good endings need no tears
It wasn’t easy to wave goodbye to the competition, but Jay did anyway. In fact, he’s even told the remaining eight contestants that he won’t miss them.

“It’s not like I’m gonna die or something. I can still see them on TV and go to the shows. Will I miss seeing them? Will I miss the competition, the fans? They’re all there, you know.”

Immediately after clutching Jonathan and Hady on stage — the three were placed together on stage to await the results — all that this hellbent Jay wanted to do was to perform his last song properly sans tears.

This was especially crucial after he had stirred up heated discussion of making a ‘crybaby’ of himself on national show when he ended the wildcard results show sobbing so much, he couldn’t finish his song.

“I want a good ending,” says a sunny Jay — who, by the way, looks like he’s just returned from a tropical holiday at the Bahamas — to us, “I hope people remember me for my singing, not crying.”

To mark a remembrance for the remaining contestants, Jay made sure to leave them a little something at the Hangout hotel where the contestants are staying: a hearty farewell gift in the form of apples, fruit bars and a tube of face mask so they can, in the metrosexual’s own words, ‘stay in tip top condition.’

The contestants had jointly agreed not to cry over the results after a heart-to-heart talk together earlier in the week.

Not that Jay could help breaking out in tears though. Right after the TV credits finished rolling on telly, tears were rolling down his cheeks.

“Much as I’d have liked to carry on, it had to end here. But I’m happy. I’ve sang the songs I want to. Whether some people thought it didn’t connect, the songs I sang are those close to my heart.”

Being the ‘uncle’ balladeer
Jay’s song choice of Robbie Williams’ Supreme on Wednesday led both Dick Lee and Florence to comment that he was disconnecting viewers by diverging from his true self.

Ken Lim also put him down briefly — “You’re such a nice guy, and you’re trying to be a bad guy” — before noting that he should just focus on what he excels at.

That would be ballads, we presume. We offer our sympathies to Jay for suffering a mild bout of typecasthisis.

While Jay admits that audiences might have gotten a strange jolt from seeing him attempt a less sappy song this time round, he says he was true to himself.

“That song, did it spook a lot of people?” he asks us with a curious glance. We could not answer him.

“But it’s a song that I really like! That’s really one side of me. I’m glad I did it. I felt very light hearted and good… and for the first time, I didn’t wear a suit!”

It wasn’t just suits that Jay wore, the 28-year-old — he is the second oldest SI contestant after Emilee Kang — also donned a ‘seniority moustache’ for a promotional trailer on television, no doubt to play up the ‘uncle’ tag that has been tossed at him in radio interviews and press articles.

Still, this good-natured guy takes it all in his stride and finds the ‘uncle’ tag flattering instead. “It means they (the contestants) respect me and look up to me as a role model of some kind.”

He also doesn’t feel that the older contestants face a disadvantage in grabbing audiences.

“It’s not that viewers don’t like more senior contestants… they do appreciate, but they watch to relax and want a good show. They don’t participate so actively in voting.”

He’s come so far
Despite being unofficially tagged by the press as the one with the best voice in the competition whether it came to a daring attempt at Daniel Bedingfield’s If You’re not the One or doing Air Supply’s Goodbye spot-on, Jay still reckons he was pretty fortunate to have fought his way into a third of the competition.

“I thought it was incredible. I think I didn’t do all that well… singing aside, I’m not a good performer on stage. I’m not natural with cameras and people and large crowds. In a very performance-oriented competition, that’s really difficult.”

If there’s one thing he can change about the competition, it’s to have been able to sing entire songs and not just to belt out just a measly portion of it (the contestants are told to keep to a minute and 45 seconds).

“The songs I like to do usually take time to build up… It doesn’t feel right for me. It’s like just when the feeling comes, I have to (gestures scrunched-up face) stand there and listen to the judges.”

Now that he no longer has to deal with the tension that comes from being cut off just when he’s gotten into a fine mood, Jay says he will take a fortnight off to chill out and do ‘normal people stuff’.

“You know, you haven’t changed much, but on the competition, you’re like somebody else, and security are supposed to escort you wherever you go.”

He will also head back to his music school to teach (“Some of my students have stopped, waiting for me to go back!”) and hopes his experience in the last few months will inspire them to pursue music whole-heartedly.

“They have the potential but like me, they’re reserved and afraid to take that step out. Let them know that I did it.

“If Jay can, so can you.”