“Asia’s Got Talent” is the biggest talent competition in the world featuring some of the region’s most breath-taking, jaw-dropping and mind-blowing performing artists competing for the coveted title. The series has topped ratings in its timeslot among English general entertainment channels in Southeast Asia including Malaysia, among pay-TV audiences.
16-time Grammy winning music producer David Foster, together with pop icon Melanie C. were in town yesterday (11th May) to share their experiences as celebrity judges on AXN’s hit series, “Asia’s Got Talent”.
With the Grand Final Results episode airing this Thursday (14th May), both judges are gearing up for a thrilling, historic conclusion as the first winner of “Asia’s Got Talent” will be crowned at the end of this week.
At the event, David said:
There is such a wealth of talent in this region waiting to be discovered. I firmly believe that the next superstar will emerge from Asia and we are already off to an exciting start in this incredible endeavour. We believe “Asia’s Got Talent” can be the platform for this discovery and I am really proud to be a part of this wonderful journey. It was amazing to see so many wonderful performers showcase their skills and dedication to their art. I feel sad that we are coming to the end of this great series, yet I am looking forward to finding out which act viewers will pick as their winner. It promises to be a fantastic conclusion to a great competition
Melanie C, on the other hand, shared:
It’s really exciting to be here in Asia. Culturally speaking, people in this region work very hard and are incredibly determined to succeed, so I feel that the standards of performers are really high. Also, there is great diversity of talent and the involvement of so many countries makes “Asia’s Got Talent” all the more amazing. Asia is set to welcome its first ever “Got Talent” star and I hope everyone will join us in making history in the Grand Final Results show on 14 May. I had an incredible time and will return home with even greater admiration for the talents in Asia.
David and Melanie are joined on the “Asia’s Got Talent” celebrity judging panel by Taiwanese-American pop idol and actor Van Ness Wu and Indonesian rock icon and international recording artiste, Anggun.
David Foster launched some of the greatest music careers including Michael Bublé, Josh Groban and Celine Dion. He created hit songs and award-winning platinum and gold albums for Earth, Wind & Fire, Natalie Cole, Michael Bolton, Seal, Chaka Khan, Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton, Chicago, Hall & Oates, Brandy, ‘N Sync, Boz Scaggs, and Gloria Estefan; propelled classical singers like Andrea Bocelli and Josh Groban into mainstream popularity, as well as created soundtracks for hit films like “The Bodyguard”, “Urban Cowboy”, and “St Elmo’s Fire”.
Melanie C. was part of the iconic 5-member Spice Girls, in which she was nicknamed “Sporty Spice”. Following that, as a solo artiste, Melanie sold more than 12 million records from 6 albums. She has the second most #1 singles in the UK and is the only female to top the charts as part of a quintet, a quartet, a duo and a solo artist. Melanie also performed in the West End musical “Blood Brothers” and co-starred in the musical “Jesus Christ Superstar”.
From thousands of hopefuls that auditioned last September, Malaysia saw 17 acts make it to the 5 “Asia’s Got Talent” auditions episodes. Among the 4 acts that received 3 or more “Yeses”, Sarawak-based 5-piece band “Sada Borneo” featured in the third semi-final episode aired on 30th April.
During the auditions in the first 5 episodes of “Asia’s Got Talent”, each act had to receive at least 3 “Yeses” from the judging panel to stand a chance of advancing to the semi-finals. A highlight of that stage was the glittering “Golden Buzzer moments”, where each judge had one opportunity to send a brilliant act straight into the next round. In addition to the 4 golden buzzer acts, the judges picked 20 more acts were for the semi-finals.
From the 3 semi-final episodes, AXN viewers voted to select six acts, while the judges picked 3 acts for the Grand Final of “Asia’s Got Talent”. Aired on 7th May, the Grand Final saw the 9 finalists perform and voting has since started and will close tonight at 11:59pm. The winner will be announced in the Grand Final Results episode airing on 14th May.
The winner takes home the grand prize USD$100,000, complemented by the opportunity to return to Singapore and perform at the iconic Marina Bay Sands, Asia’s leading entertainment destination – where the semi-finals, Grand Final, and Grand Final Results shows are held.
“Asia’s Got Talent” spans 10 weekly episodes, including 5 audition episodes, 3 semi-finals, a Grand Final episode and the upcoming Grand Final Results episode, and is proudly presented by Marina Bay Sands, Big Cola, Pantene, Caltex, Jetstar, and MyTeksi. In Malaysia, “Asia’s Got Talent” is also presented by Great Eastern.
“Asia’s Got Talent” Grand Final Results episode premieres on Thursday 14th May at 8:05pm first on AXN (Astro CH701 and in HD on CH721).
