Mentors Datuk Syafinaz Selamat, Siti Nordiana, Aizat Amdan and Hafiz Suip tell Dennis Chua that Mentor 7 is really about the proteges
ORIGINALITY is the keyword when it comes to “polishing” new singers for the industry, says Datuk Syafinaz Selamat.
“They must be serious and consistently improve themselves as the weekly concerts go by. Most importantly, they must sing popular songs their way, and not be clones of others.”
Syafinaz is one of the four mentors of reality talent search Mentor 7, which is making a comeback after a six-year hiatus that was filled by its spin-offs Mentor Legend (2014), Mentor Milenia (2016 and 2017) and Mentor Otai (early 2018).
The other mentors are singers Siti Nordiana and Hafiz Suip, and singer-songwriter Aizat Amdan.
Syafinaz may be a respected music lecturer at Universiti Teknologi Mara in Shah Alam, and a “no-nonsense” judge in other reality shows as Akademi Fantasia and One In A Million, but she has decided to “do something different” in November.
“I admit I don't have any experience mentoring contestants, but I'm willing to give it a try. Being a music lecturer means imparting my knowledge to students, but being a mentor means I've got to be a ‘friend’ to my proteges.”
Syafinaz keeps an open mind when it comes to communicating with musically talented youths, including her proteges.
“From my experience auditioning hundreds of hopefuls last August, I've realised that we've got a large pool of talented musicians.
“A lot of them upload their own performances on YouTube which can be impressive, and I'm willing to learn from their experiences just as I want to share mine with them,” said Syafinaz.
When asked if she would feel slighted if the judges criticised her during weekly concerts, Syafinaz said she was “ready to face constructive criticism”.
“I believe that criticism helps everyone improve, myself included. I'm not always a ‘cikgu’. When I watch concerts, my friends often ask me to criticise the performers, but I tell them I reserve my comments here.”
When asked about juggling her busy work schedule, Syafinaz said she will spend Mondays with her proteges, Wednesdays overseeing them rehearsing with the show's musicians, and Saturdays observing the sound checks.
Siti Nordiana shares Syafinaz's mission to discover the “next big talents”. “Mentor is really about the proteges, not the mentors. We mentors are merely guides who contribute 10 per cent of the effort,” she said.
“Sometimes, followers of the show believe that the mentor's popularity helps his or her proteges win — that's a myth, because even Datuk Seri Siti Nurhaliza's proteges didn't win in the first two seasons.”
When asked what she expected out of her proteges, Siti Nordiana said they should be able to sing 1990s pop songs, as well as Irama Malaysia, dangdut and R&B.
“They may choose to excel in the genres of their choice, but since these are my fortes, I'd expect them to show interest,” she said.
As reality show graduates, Hafiz Suip and Aizat Amdan stress the importance of staying healthy to their proteges.
Aizat, from Akademi Fantasia 5, said: “Healthy contestants go far. You may have talent but if you don't look after your health, you may not perform as you expect.”
Hafiz, from Akademi Fantasia 7, said: “My proteges must get enough sleep because it helps them perform well on the night of the concert. Having been proteges before, we understand the pressure they have to face.”
Aizat stressed that his proteges should not think of achieving fame quickly because “it would come naturally” with hard work.
“They must think of being appreciated and credible first. Also, be consistent, do your best every week and don't stop learning,” he said.
Aizat initially wanted his proteges to be good at musical instruments, because it makes them independent and resourceful.
“Not many do. That's the reality I've got to face!”
Hafiz advised his proteges to choose their weekly songs wisely.
“Song choice is very important. Sing the wrong one and you may be out fast. Thus, pick one you can sing well.
“But at the same time, challenge yourself. Step out of your comfort zone.”
Aizat said Mentor 7 was a chance for them to be producers.
“Coming up with shows that feature new artistes, our proteges, is good training for us.”
Hafiz said he had a “team” of coaches and they were experienced and credible.
“I won't reveal them yet, but I've learnt a lot of tips from Mentor Milenia's and Mentor Otai's participating mentors — Hazama Azmi, Akim Ahmad and Misha Omar to prepare myself.”
Media Prima group general manager for brand management and programming (ntv7) and acquisition Zurina Othman said they had composer Datuk Wah Idris as the chief judge, and he will be joined by a guest judge every week.
She said that Wah was a reputable and experienced musician who graduated from Berklee College of Music in the United States.
“Not many music fans know him today, but he has vast experience as a contest judge, who sets high standards.”
She added that the older generation would remember him as the man behind the 2003 rearrangement of the national anthem Negaraku and the composer of the Federal Territories anthem Maju Dan Sejahtera (first version in 2006).
The first concert starts on Nov 4 with performances by the proteges of Syafinaz and Aizat, while the second concert on Nov 11 will feature the proteges of Hafiz and Siti Nordiana.
Only two proteges will remain at the end of the concert, the ones with the lowest marks will be eliminated.
Marks are determined by the judges (50 per cent), a semi-professional jury comprising musicians and music lecturers (20 per cent) and public voting via www.xtra.com.my (30 per cent).
Mentor 7 which runs for 10 weeks is co-hosted by Nana Mahzan, Shuk Sahar and Sara Zulkifli.
The concerts are broadcast live from Sri Pentas 2, Plaza Alam Sentral, Shah Alam, at 9pm on TV3 every Sunday.
Mentor 7 was launched at The International Gallery At Alya in Bukit Kiara, Kuala Lumpur on Oct 23.
Syafinaz's proteges are Ranisha Faizul, Nona Thamrin and Lazarul Zakaria, Siti Nordiana's proteges are Taufiq Rodzi, Zaaim Abdullah and Syamimi Manan, Aizat's proteges are Faris Malek, Adzuan “Megat” Mazlan and Faizul Ashraf Fauzi, and Hafiz's proteges are Amal Faudzi, Nadia Rozi and Azmirul Azman.