Will you support Weilian?

Project Superstar was the talk of the town over the weekend. I mentioned about this competition in my previous post “Will he be the next Superstar?” (28/6/2005). At that time, I was sure HE would not get anywhere near the finals. It was now proven that I was very wrong.

HE is Chen Weilian (Kelvin Tan), 23, otherwise known as the blind busker.

In case you have not watched the show, let me give a brief recap. He was one of the two male finalists in the contest that was aired last Wednesday. Both sang three songs in the 1½ hour contest. Hot favourite NUS undergraduate Ang Junyang, 24, took home an average score of 40.7, while Tan had a score of 37. These scores were awarded by a panel of five judges, which stood 30% of the competition results. The other 70% came from viewers’ votings.

In the end, Tan took the crown.

For the last few days, a lot of viewers were unhappy about the results. Most felt that the voting system was unfair because Ang had performed better in the finals, and that Tan won due to sympathy votes. Others felt that Singaporeans should not be biased towards Tan just because of his disability.

In the female rounds, air stewardess Kelly Poon, 22, won the female crown with an average score was 38.7, while her rival Singaporean PR Chew Sin Huey, 24, effortlessly got 42.5 points.

Both Tan and Poon scored lower scores than their rivals and both won the contest. Why were there less disagreements and unhappiness on Poon’s victory than Tan?

In my opinion, I think it is because although Poon did not get a score as high as Chew, but she is in general the one with more star appeal. One could sing better while the other has more star quality. In a nutshell, they were on par with each other. Whereas for Tan and Ang, it is clear to most neutral viewers who fits the bill of a Superstar more appropriately.

Both Tan and Ang were sick during the finals. Ang was a flop on his first song, but sang increasingly well for his second and third songs, despite a sore throat. Tan who had a bad flu, did average for his three songs. Over lunch the other day, I overheard someone saying, “Both were sick, but of course it would be more difficult for Tan to overcome it.”

Although Tan’s supporters are crying out to others not to place emphasis on his disability, but would it be possible to draw the line between him and his disability? Let’s face it. If Tan had been another normal contestant, would there have been so much controversies over his triumph?

Tan’s sister said after the competition, “Do not be place the emphasis on what Weilian cannot do, but think of how he can make you feel touched with his voice.”

It would have been possible if we have not seen Tan perform on stage before, and he could be marketed as an unconventional, behind-the-scene singer like Ocean Ou. But now? Would it still be possible?

It seems that a lot of Tan’s supporters had voted for him because of his courage and fighting spirit. Perhaps the determination and perseverance that Tan possesses, to disregard his lack of vision, to stand on stage and compete with other normal contestants is what Singaporeans want to see, and to be motivated. Some also feel that with Tan's emergence, people with disability could finally be integrated and accepted into mainstream society. To many, Tan is like a hero and idol, because he has shown that people who are handicapped, could still fight for their dreams. And his supporters are helping him to achieve it.

I must say that Tan has done a wonderful feat, to gel Singaporeans up, and to make Singaporeans stand up and say, "Let's be fair to one and all, regardless of their disabilities." That is worth our salutes.

But my question is, should this be the way we choose our Superstar? No doubt Tan can sing well, and perhaps, everyone has their own way of defining a “Superstar”. But to all those who have supported Tan out of sympathy, I only have these words for you, “This is a contest, not charity.”

And as my friend puts it aptly, “If Ang or Poon wins the contest, they will just be an addition to the current music scene like Stephanie Sun, Lin Jun Jie or Ah Du, nothing special. But when Tan wins, it would be a different story.” Indeed.

The grand final between Poon and Tan will take place on 1st September at the Indoor Stadium. Both have released their CD singles on Saturday, and the sales of the CD will make up 30% of the votes, while 70% will rely on viewers’ votes on that day.

Well, from the way things are going, I would not be surprised if Tan clinches the top spot during the finals.