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Judges of 'The Voice' Malaysia and Singapore: Mandarin could be the first step

《The Voice 决战好声》 coaches Tan Hanjin, Della Ding, Gary Chaw, Sky Wu (Photo: mm2 Entertainment)
《The Voice 决战好声》 coaches Tan Hanjin, Della Ding, Gary Chaw, Sky Wu (Photo: mm2 Entertainment)

The local version of a singing competition, ‘The Voice 决战好声’ (translated to The Voice: Battle Of Voices), may have drawn some criticism over its Mandarin-speaking requirement, but judges are asking the public to look beyond the language for now.

The four judges, Tan Hanjin, Della Ding, Gary Chaw and Sky Wu, took questions from the media on Tuesday (4 July) in an interview in Johor, responding to the backlash the show had faced over its initial announcement.

Malaysian singer Chaw said he believed ‘the most important thing about The Voice is’ a contestant’s singing ability. “Even if you can’t speak that well, it’s okay, as long as you are able to express the contents of the songs, I don’t think this is a problem,” the 37-year-old Chaw said.

He also said he felt that most people in Malaysia and Singapore would know a little Mandarin, more or less, regardless of their race, adding that he thought it would be possible for the organisers to look beyond the Chinese language for future seasons of the show.

“This is only the first season of the show, and perhaps after seeing the response that this show has gotten, the organisers can feedback to the original licensor of ‘The Voice’ franchise (Talpa Media),” Chaw said. “Singapore and Malaysia are both multi-racial and multilingual countries, so we definitely must diversify. I think it’s possible to request.”

Singaporean singer-songwriter Tan Hanjin said while he thought the language requirement was a ‘logistics issue’, he was happy that the franchise had come to Singapore and Malaysia.

“I believe that this is the first step of many steps to come. If the license dictates that things have to go a certain way, then perhaps that’s how the first step is meant to go. Music has no language barriers,” said the 41-year-old.

《The Voice 决战好声》 coaches Tan Hanjin, Della Ding, Gary Chaw, Sky Wu at the press conference (Photo: mm2 Entertainment)
《The Voice 决战好声》 coaches Tan Hanjin, Della Ding, Gary Chaw, Sky Wu at the press conference (Photo: mm2 Entertainment)

Building their dream team

The judges also shared the kind of contestants that they wanted on their teams, with Chaw saying it didn’t matter whether the person went off-key or knew how to pull high notes as long as his or her voice alone was capable of moving the audience. He also said he was afraid of the ‘you tiao (fried dough fritters)’ type, which he described as a singer who can sing well but is ‘cold’, and disconnected from the song.

Taiwanese singer-songwriter Wu offered a softer stance, suggesting that contestants could be nervous on stage and therefore come across as stiff.

“What I’m more afraid of is that even after I’ve given my all to guide the person, he or she speaks one way and thinks another,” the 50-year-old Golden Melody award winner said (the Golden Melody Awards are Taiwan’s equivalent of the Grammys).

Wu said his goal was not to be a winning judge on the show, but instead play the role of mentor to budding talents. “I hope to groom a likeable singer that has ‘soul’ in his or her voice, and one that is able to deliver a memorable vocal performance for the audience,” Wu said. “It doesn’t mean that if you’re a champion you’re going to be memorable.”

Ding, 34, agreed with her fellow Taiwanese, saying, she wanted to choose those who could convey emotions in their performances, even if they did not have a lot of experience performing.

“I will be their partner and accompany them in their journey to getting better,” Ding said, though she admitted that she feared contestants who might be too stubborn or not receptive when she gives advice and suggestions.

However, for Chaw, having a personal style was more important. “Even if a contestant sings my songs, I don’t want that person to sing it in the same way I do. There needs to be a different feel and it needs to be expressed in their own voice,” he said.

Coaches Tan Hanjin, Della Ding, Gary Chaw, Sky Wu at the set for 《The Voice 决战好声》
Coaches Tan Hanjin, Della Ding, Gary Chaw, Sky Wu at the set for 《The Voice 决战好声》

New talent

While the show is a contest, for Singaporean Tan, a key part of it is still to find and nurture new talent.

“We hope to use this show to find a new generation of top vocalists,” Tan said. “As what the judges have mentioned, the results may not matter, but character is the most important. We will try our best to develop the potential of those in our respective teams.”

While they may have had their differing opinions about contestants, the four judges could agree on one thing — it was important that they did not let themselves down while guiding their team members during the course of the show.

‘The Voice 决战好声’ will begin filming the blind auditions round on Wednesday (5 July) at Pinewood Studios in Johor Bahru, in front of an audience of 250. It will also be the first TV show to be filmed on that set.

Coaches Tan Hanjin, Della Ding, Gary Chaw, Sky Wu at the set for 《The Voice 决战好声》
Coaches Tan Hanjin, Della Ding, Gary Chaw, Sky Wu at the set for 《The Voice 决战好声》

Up for grabs for the winner is a recording contract by Universal Music Group, although it may also award recording contracts to other contestants from the show.

The Voice决战好声》premieres on 17 September, 8pm on Hub E City (StarHub TV Channel 111/825) and StarHub Go on StarHub; and 17 September, 8.30pm at AEC Channel on Astro.

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