Birth of Project SuperStar Top 24!

In front of hundreds of enthusiastic supporters and curious bystanders, 24 singing talents were selected from the short-listed 40. Who are they? And we beg the question: do musically-talented people look like each other??

Kwok Kar Peng

After queuing for hours on end, triumphing 6000 other contestants to become one of the Top 40, and getting friends and family who screamed, clapped and showed support in all forms at the Suntec City Tropics Atrium yesterday, it must have been such an immense disappointment to be left out of the elite Top 24. Some of the female hopefuls broke down into tears, some of the guys whipped out cell phones to lament their fate, while others congratulate each other on a job nearly well done. One of these 16 woeful could-have-beens is Chris Goh, son of Wu Gang and Xia Hui, both who had been famous singers in their heyday in the 1970s. Garnering media attention since the first audition, his elimination from the Top 24 was a surprise for some.

The unfortunate Chris Goh

Another contestant Tricia Zhou perhaps knew early on that she wouldn’t be one of the lucky ones. After receiving bad feedback from the judges on her audition performance, the girl wept off-stage with her new-found friends providing quiet consolation. She blamed her lacklustre performance on a sore throat caused by the bad haze in Singapore over the past few days. Even though judge Billy Koh empathised with her situation and told her they should ‘show mercy to people who are ill’, it failed to turn her dismal situation around. Tricia in tears Charlotte Loh attempting to block the cameras from taking anymore pics of Tricia

For every one of the 16 contestants who left Suntec City with a heavy heart yesterday, there is another one who’s rejoicing in having taken another big step towards their music career dream. The Project SuperStar Top 24 are:

Females:

Averil Chan, 22, student	Charlotte Loh, 25, in banking	Veron Yang, 24, HR Executive			Tang Ling Yi, 19, student

Dawn Wong, 22, bank executive	Lee Her Ching, 23, in sales. Her Ching so impressed the folks from SK Jewellery that they specifically hand-picked her to model their gems in the second audition!	Magdalene Yeong, 22, unemployed	Tay Kewei, 23, Project Coordinator. Did she really shop with singer/hottie Wang Lee Hom when he was in Singapore? Yes, she did, but only to bring him to shop for an er hu because her dad teaches the Chinese classical music instrument.

Maxilian Chan, 19, student	Yeo Chia Ying, 25, Account Executive	Michelle Low, 24, Personal Financial Consultant	Lydia Tan Diya, 21, student

Males:

Jeff Teay, 25, National Service Regular	Huang Shiyu, 23, undergrad	Nathaniel Tan, 20, National Serviceman	Jeremy Kwan, 23, undergrad

Kenny Lim, 22, National Serviceman	Kelvin Soon, 25, unemployed	Jon Toh, 27, in sales	Jeremy Chan, 25, bartender

Zhang Le Sheng, 25, unemployed	Daren Tan, 23, National Serviceman	Anson Goh, 27, in sales	Chua Wee Jian, 19, student

Besides possessing skilled vocal techniques and pleasant looks, there were also some contestants who bear striking resemblances to artistes who already struck it big. Would looking like the doppelganger of a famous celebrity ease the arduous metamorphosis to a SuperStar? For some of the Top 40 contestants, it may appear so.

Celebrity look-alikes

Daren Tan Sze Wei, 23, serving National Service (One of the Top 24) Hey, isn’t that… MediaCorp artiste Jeff Wang? Or local singer Jones Shi Kang Jun?? Or even evergreen heart-throb Chin Han’s son Sun Guohao??? His doppelganger looks aside, this sharp-dresser packs a solid singing skill and won the thumbs-up from all the judges. Dawn Yip liked Daren’s cool look and advised him to harness his ability to convey sincerity in his songs, and to “charm everyone”. Roy Li thought his voice was good, though he should put more effort in his enunciation. Anthony Png felt he was one of the best male singers he heard yesterday; Lee Wei Song was touched by his performance while Billy Koh thought his looks and voice were “quite man”.

Zhang Le Sheng, 25, unemployed (One of the Top 24) Hey, isn’t that… I really wouldn’t know but the rest of the judges swore Le Sheng looks like the younger version of judge Lee Wei Song when the latter was still in singing competitions! This aspiring singer is also a talented lyricist, having written theme songs for many MediaCorp dramas like Double Happiness, Portrait of Home, Destiny, P.S I Luv U, Family Matters and the currently showing An Enchanted Life and Fairy of the Chalice. His lyrics are also selected by Project SuperStar female winner Kelly Poon for her song December; Taiwanese pop darling Rainie Yang for Ke Ai, and Chinese acclaimed singer Sun Nam for Cheng Jin Ai Dao! The final icing on his cake would be his Best Theme Song Award in Star Awards 2004 for Ai Zai Shen Pang, sung by Power Station for the drama I Love My Home. Le Sheng so impressed judge Anthony Png with his audition performance that the latter even clapped for him! “With the exception of your looks and image, everything else about you is like Wei Song! You’re quite good and your musical feel is good,” he said. Nevertheless, the judges thought unanimously that Le Sheng should not overdose on his accessorizing (buttons, badges and glittery chains were all over his white jacket). Billy Koh also offered him some advice: “You don’t need to select a difficult song to audition with; you should instead choose one that will please the audience. Besides, the song (Le Sheng selected Liu Lei Shou Xing) was quite a boring song.”

Anson Goh Heng Yong, 27, Sales Associate (One of the Top 24) Hey, isn’t that… Hong Kong singer/actor Andy Hui? “Yeah, my friends have mentioned to me my resemblance to Andy Hui; it’s probably our sharp nose bridges,” Anson said. During his audition performance, Anson was accused of creating a rapport with the huge crowd and not with the judges, to which he promptly replied, “Well, the audience is more important than the judges!” Judge Roy Li immediately quipped in return, “Of course. They are the ones who will vote for you if you are in the Top 24 right?”

Huang Shi Yu, 23, a Business Administration student at National University of Singapore (One of the Top 24) Hey, isn’t that… the guy who was in Star Search with Felicia Chin? Yes, that’s him! Shi Yu, one of the top faves in Star Search 2003, left MediaCorp to pursue his tertiary education after his one-year contract with MediaCorp ended in 2004. He’s now back to take a stab at singing, his first love, but all’s not so rosy with the judges: all thought he couldn’t control the high notes well enough.

Sheila Ou Qian Yu, 21, Customer Service Officer Hey, isn’t that… local actress Melody Chen? Or last year’s Project SuperStar’s Chanel Pang?? “My friends have told me I look like a fatter version of MediaCorp actress Joanne Peh too…” Sheila told us. “I’ve seen Chanel in school (Singapore Polytechnic) a few times and I don’t think I look like her, although my friends think otherwise.” (Sheila unfortunately didn’t make to the Top 24.)

Florence Wang, 22, a Mechanical Engineering student at Nanyang Technological University Hey, isn’t that… Hong Kong actress Michelle Yip? “My friends thought I look like Hong Kong singer/actress Kelly Chen back in my secondary school days but I didn’t think so,” Florence told us sweetly. (Florence unfortunately didn’t make to the Top 24.)

Catch more Project SuperStar stories here on Channel U website soon!