This would be my last entry on AF. I promise. It's time now, to move on. I got this one particular issue pasal Fantasia Mania dan industri muzik tempatan secara umum. Mitos tentang aspek VERSATILITY. Artis yang bagus: wajibkah berciri versatile?
Bila dok baca komen dalam blog, ramai yang letak ‘versatility’ sebagai kriteria menilai penghibur yang baik. Konon si A tu tak cukup versatile. Tak boleh nyanyi lagu genre cam tu, cam ni. Asyik lagu jenis gitu-gitu saja. So, kesimpulan – si A tak bagus. Bahkan, kalangan juri profesional pun kekadang ada juga kegilaan pada versatility.
Come on, waras sikit guys. Versatility is a good quality – but that’s not the only indicator to justify one’s talent. Dalam dunia realiti, versatility is not the element that will give you a ‘staying power’ in the industry. Pengguna muzik in general (although they may not realise it), actually don’t really care how versatile a singer is. Yang penting, the performance is good. Mordern taste – people go for speciality, not versatility. In reality memang cam tu pun. Cuma tang pertandingan, people tend to be OVERLY idealistic!
Nevermind even if you’re very mono-dimensional – as long as you’re excellent in your own niche. That’s the key to survive. Tengok macam Shiela, Ning dan Anuar Zain. Kukuh bertahan dalam industri muzik. Tiap kali buat album, tetap gempak. Bukan saja di arena pasaran; bahkan juga dalam majlis anugerah. Are they versatile? May be yes, may be not. But do they practice 'versatility' in their singing careers? No. Tengok juga contoh-contoh world superstar yang hebat dan jadi lagenda (i.e. Nora Jones, Alicia Keys, Elvis, Beatles). Are/were they obsessed with being versatile? Go and figure out.
We’ve Siti as the only surviving ‘versatile singer’ in Malaysia. Penyanyi lain yang cuba nak versatile – semuanya datang, pergi dan hilang. Ingat deknon semua, Siti is naturally versatile, not trying to be one! Not everyone is blessed with extra-ordinary talent macam Siti. So, learn and understand your own vocal. Work out what is best for it. Then, stay within your comfort zone. Tak payah dengar nasihat ambitious si guru vokal (yang tak pernah buat album pun!) – yang konon nak explore versatility dengan mencuba pelbagai genre lagu. Quality over quantity, please. Have faith in what you're best at. Jangan tamak haloba.
Analoginya macam masuk universiti. You need to be highly specialised to be competitive dalam pasaran kerja. All the employers out there want a real geologist, engineer, accountant, botanist, palaeontologist, curator, demographist, etc. Nobody wants a ‘know-and-do-everything’ person. Kalau kita ambik kursus-kursus yang sifatnya umum dan terbuka – alamatnya akan jadi cikgu saja-lah! Tu pun nak jadi cikgu susah juga sekarang kalau bukan mengkhusus dalam pendidikan. It’s not that we don’t appreciate versatility. We do – tapi tengok situasi-lah pula. Generally – dalam konteks muzik masakini, speciality is a more-desired quality than versatility.
Find your own niche and conquer it – solidly. Jangan gatal nak tawan gelanggang sebesar alam, but have no control to any part of it! Tabik spring pada Shiela Majid, Ratu Jazz Malaysia: yang terus bertahan dalam industri muzik, walaupun tanpa publisiti melimpah-ruah.
Konsert ke-III (Penampilan dan imej)
Sumber paparan visual: Akademi Fantasia
Bercakap pasal imej dan penampilan, saya rasa yang OK dan boleh diterima seadanya ialah – pelajar nombor 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10 dan 13. The best image is of course student no. 4. Simple but tastefully presented. No. 3 looks good too. Neat and stylish, but not over-doing it.
Penampilan pelajar no. 7 dan 11 pun rasanya bolehlah dimaafkan. Taklah melampau glamour macam ala-ala primadona wannabe. Masih ada simplicity, walau pun tetap nampak juga kegedikan nak berlebih-lebih. Tapi rambut untuk minah no. 11 tu kelakar gilak. Tau la sekarang filem Starwars tengah laris, tapi tak payah la perasan nak jadi Prince Lea separuh jadi pula!
Pelajar no. 1 – terlalu komplikated. Bukan saja dengan selempang, siap pula pakai baju berlapis. Hello, badan awak masih tak cukup bagak ke nak berlapis-lapis pula? Baju pun kaler orange. Buta warna agaknya. Dengan saiz sebesar 'itu', you will naturally stand out. Tak payah nak pakai baju striking pun to get the attention!
Pelajar no. 2 – I dislike everything about her image. Rantai sarat merabai kat leher. Skima warna coklat untuk baju pula sangat depressingly dull. Pas tu ada hati nak pakai scarf kat kepala. Sebijik macam budak high-school nak pi kelas masakan. Paling tak tahan, potongan singkat secara lintang pada kain. Call me conservative, but this ‘sexiness’ is distastefully put. Macam ala-ala ‘NAK tapi TAPI NAK tayang’ peha. Heiii minah, make up your mind. Nak singkat ke, nak labuh ni? Kalau nak singkat, pakailah macam pelajar no. 7. Tak payah nak nak buat separuh-separuh lak. Don’t purposely put it in a provoking way. Ketara sangat ciri-ciri bohsianya.
Pelajar no. 9 – goboh nak mampus. Macam penari gipsi yang sesat di gurun Sahara. Coraknya semak. Cutting pun semak. Macam berlapis-lapis. Pas tu dengan rambut ala-ala kembang mengurai. Macam bini pertama baru habis bertarik rambut dengan bini kedua. Segalanya sungguh semak tidak terkata!
Pelajar no. 12 – the WORST image. Umur baru 20-an tapi kemaruk nak berpakaian macam umur dah 56 tahun. Sekali tengok, sebijik macam rupa pakcik-pakcik yang jadi peserta pertandingan lagu-lagu keroncong peringkat daerah. Utterly tasteless and degrading. Please act your own age mate. If ASTRO would ever ask me to dress up like that, without a slight hesitation, I would burn their entire wardrobe!
Konsert ke-III (Persembahan Vokal)
Sumber link audio: k l u b b k i d d ' s r a v e
Marsha : Lelaki Idaman (Melly Goeslow)
Much better than last week. Very pleasant tone as usual, and much better execution for high notes. And yes, she should stick to this kind of songs – funky and up-tempo. Lupakan lagu-lagu soul jenis Syafinaz dan Ning.
Aidil : Nak Dara Rindu (P. Ramlee)
Macam suara lelaki berahi dalam kelambu. Kalau ini dikata penghayatan, forget it dude. Nobody is going to buy a record with such an out-fashioned delivery. Bosan nak mampus. Mendayu-dayu macam laki baru mati bini! Listen to P. Ramlee, and learn how to present that song without over-dramatising it. Bukan nak suruh jadi P.Ramlee. Sorry, jauh panggang dari api! Tapi pelajari gaya bersahaja itu.
Amy : Asmaradana (Tiara Jacquelina)
OK la. Tak ada kelemahan yang bodoh-bodoh. But, nothing is special. I don’t expect much anyway from someone with such a limited talent – vocally.
Reza : Mungkin Nanti (Peterpan)
Suara kaku. Mendatar. Flat macam padang hoki kat Bukit Jalil. Not irritating, but certainly not entertaining to listen to. Macam lauk tawar. Dengar bunyi getar sayap kumbang tengah mengawan pun, lebih sedap. Tone suara, saya bagi markah 2/10.
Yazer : Suatu Masa (M. Nasir)
Last week, he brutally killed ‘Sejati’ – one of Wing’s greatest songs, and my all-time favourite. This time thing didn’t get any better. Apa masalah mamat ni? He can’t hit high and low notes effectively. And, he can’t even hold middle range keys solidly. This guy simply can’t sing – dalam konteks professional. Setakat nyanyi dalam kenduri kahwin, ok-lah kut.
Kefli : Keindahan Pantai (M. Shariff & Zurah II)
Perlu nak ulas ke? Tak payah. SUMBANG, SUMBANG, SUMBANG. Bukan lagi tahap dewa. Darjah kesumbangannya dah mencecah tahap bapak-bapak dewa. Intensiti suara 7-8 kali berubah. Mood nada pun bertukar-tukar. I lost count how many times these changes occured in every single verse dalam lagu tu! Next week, suruh Siti Hajar bawa baldi. So, bila mamat ni nyanyi, Siti Hajar (sebagai guru vokal!) boleh sembunyi muka dalam baldi.
Amylea : Anggapanmu (Ziana Zain)
Overall, the best performer – vocally (or may be just suit my taste?). Voice control, rendition technique, and phrasing – the best in the academy. And her 'tone' was not bad too. Only second to Marsha (yang softly pleasant). Tapi saya lebih suka Amylea kekal dengan lagu-lagu funky pop rock – macam minggu lepas. Genre balada (terutama lagu Ziana!) is not really her comfort zone. Minah, suara gedikmu lebih sesuai untuk lagu-lagu Amy Mastura seperti 'Meniti Hari' dan yang sewaktu. Jangan gatal nak tunjuk versatile. Pulanglah ke pangkal jalan, sebelum terlambat macam Fuad!
Fuad : Gerimis Di Lautan (Sudirman)
Suara bersih. Besar dan terapung dengan baik. No doubt, he's one of the best di kalangan pelajar lelaki. Kenapa dia terkeluar? Ntah. Salah lagu? Wahai rakyat jelata – tolonglah bijak-bijakkan diri anda semua. Ingat, anda sedang mengundi calon artis berbakat, bukan nak cari bakal ulamak misali. Kalau tak mampu nak kawal pengaruh emosi ketika mengundi, baik jangan undi. Joinlah kelab NO AFUNDI! Fuad was not the ultimate talent in AF; but based on this week's performance, there's no reason why he should get booted. Bercakap tentang pilihan lagu pula, I would much prefer si Fuad tu fokus pada lagu-lagu jenis ‘She’s A Lady’. Bukan lagu-lagu purba macam Puteri atau Gerimis Di Lautan. Definitely not his type of songs. (Hmm, nak nasihat pun dah terlambat). Having said this, his very own interpretation untuk lagu-lagu purba ni pun still much better than sesetengah jantan kat AF.
Akma : Lagu Rindu (Siti Nurhaliza)
Dengan suara separuh masak macam tu, the last thing you should ever do is trying to be a ‘Siti Wannabe’. Lagu Rindu is a heavy song and demands a very very strong delivery. Tang part pitch tinggi, ok la sikit. Tang rendah – bosan dan maha membosankan!
Felix : Memori Bahagia (Sahri)
Obviously much weaker than last week. Silap pilih lagu? But his rendition and voice control were still consistently good. He managed to hit all the appropriate notes effectively (although not as comfortable as last week). And, yes – the best tone among pelajar lelaki. So, on this basis – walaupun Felix tak bagi yang terbaik – he remains the best performer di kalangan lelaki. My personal opinion la.
Ekin : Mimpi Sedih (Emillia Contessa)
OK la. Tak buruk, dan tak bagus sangat. So-so jer. Why I'm not so critical dengan dia ni? May be sebab expectation saya tak tinggi sangat dengan minah ni. Maklumlah minggu lepas – dia nyanyi dengan buruk tahap cipan! Anyway, di kalangan semua pompuan yang tinggal, I still consider her as the weakest link.
Mawi : Gadis Melayu (Othman Hamzah)
Rasa macam nak tubi mamat Felda ni. He got all the natural qualities – as far as voice is concerned. Suara yang bersih (although tak sebersih suara Fuad), merdu dan phrasing technique yang menarik. Tapi mamat ni suka kulum suara. Tak lepas habis. Last week was much better in terms of ‘lontaran vokal’. Cuma sebab lirik agak kucar-kacir, jadi macam pelik dan tak smooth. Kali ini no problem dari segi persiapan – but he still stubbornly refused to go all out. Makin bertambah lagi dia telan suara sendiri. Or may be silap pilih lagu? Apa-apa pun, masih sebuah persembahan yang baik. Overall, better than Fuad, but still lagged behind Felix.
Idayu : Curiga (Ning Baizura)
Saya suka juga dengan minah ni. Orang kata, dia tak ada originality. Tapi saya rasa versi Curiga si Idayu ni tak ada persamaan langsung dengan versi Ning. They certainly interpret the song differently. Lagi pun phrasing technique minah ni berbeza teramat jauh dengan gaya Ning. Is she a serious contender for AF crown? No. I like her, but if I were to vote – I won’t vote her. Kalau dia buat album pun, tak terasa nak beli. Nothing special.
Ranking:
Amylea
Felix
Marsha
Mawi
Fuad
* Yang lelain tu, suka hati tok nenek diorang nak menempel kat ranking mana. Janji si Kiefli tercorot kat bawah sekali!
