Voice of an ‘impostor’
Based on the popular South Korean TV show I Can See Your Voice, ntv7 has the Malay version for local audiences, writes Tahir Alhamzah
ATV talent show that rewards contestants who can’t really carry a tune. Odd, but if you are familiar with the South Korean TV show I Can See Your Voice, which premiered in early 2015, this concept is nothing new. Trust K-pop culture to come up with refreshing formats for small screen entertainment.
While K-pop fans have been enjoying the show co-hosted by Yoo Se-yoon, Leeteuk (Super Junior) and Kim Jong-kook for the past five seasons, there was also a Malaysian version. It premiered last year on 8TV, in Mandarin.
“This is not your ordinary entertainment show,” TV3 and TV9 Group general manager for brand management and programming Zurina Othman explained. “It is a platform for those who cannot sing well enough to win prizes. Because of the extraordinary support for the Mandarin version, which is now entering its second season on 8TV, we believe the Malay version will also be a hit.”
Premiering tomorrow, the Malay version of I Can See Your Voice Malaysia will be aired at 8.30pm on ntv7.
THE HOSTS
The show will air 14 episodes, hosted by comedian and Hot FM announcer Shuk Sahar and actor-singer Alvin Chong.
Shuk is honoured to be one of the cohosts. “This is one of the biggest TV shows that I have been given to helm to date. It’s exciting to be part of this,” says Shuk, who follows the original South Korean show.
Shuk finds working with Chong easy as the latter knows what he is required to do. “I’ve no problem co-hosting the show with him. When he doesn’t know something, Alvin is not ashamed to ask,” Shuk says of his co-host.
Chong’s grasp of Malay is not perfect but Shuk says it’s okay as the programme is very casual in character.
When first approached to host the show, Chong was unsure because of his grasp of the language. “But as my management team at Universal Music encouraged me, I figured I would give it a go and challenge myself to master the language,” says Chong, who caught the attention of Malay audiences in the popular Suri Hati Mr Pilot drama series in 2016.
Meanwhile, Jihan Muse, Mark Adam and Seelan Paul are the permanent panellists. For every episode, the trio will be joined by two other guest panellists and a guest artiste.
Among the guest artistes are Wany Hasrita, Misha Omar, Dayang Nurfaizah, Ayda Jebat, Kaka Azraff, Faizal Tahir, Ziana Zain, Hazama, Black, and the all-girl group De Fam, as well as Indonesian acts Cakra Khan, Virgoun and Pasha of Ungu fame.
I CAN SEE YOUR VOICE
Each week for 13 episodes, six mystery singers will be unveiled at the beginning of each episode. Like most singing competitions, the mystery singers are selected at an audition. However, among the six mystery singers, there will also be impostors who can’t sing.
Even the actual singers are unknown to the masses. So the guest artiste will have to determine who of these are, and who aren’t, in the first round of the game. The panellists will assist the guest artiste with the task.
The mystery singers will pose onstage and based only on their looks and a 0.3-second recording of each mystery singer, the guest artiste will then have to determine who’s who. In the second round, the mystery singers will lip sync, and at the end, the guest artiste will eliminate two.
In the following round, the three panellists will defend the mystery singers. The guest artiste will be given the chance to listen to the audio tracks of the mystery singers before determining which of the panellists have been telling lies.
He or she will be given 100 seconds to discuss with the panellists and the studio audience before making the decision and eliminate another two of the mystery singers.
In the final round, the guest artiste will be given 10 seconds to make eye contact with the remaining two before choosing the mystery singer he or she wishes to perform a duet with.
Says Zurina: “When the mystery singer is chosen, he (or she) will then reveal his voice on ‘the stage of truth’. If the winner is a true singer, he will be eligible to join the I Can See Your Voice Malaysia Showcase, which is the 14th episode.
“However, if the weekly winner is an impostor, he will take home RM3,000.”