One could argue that Jaclyn Victor is one of Malaysia’s legendary singers. Since becoming the first winner of “Malaysian Idol”, she has made a significant impact on the entertainment industry and inspired future generations of performers.
However, her success has not been without its challenges. While the vocalist has previously spoken about some of her struggles, she recently recalled an incident when someone suggested she should not have won the popular singing competition that launched her career.
Jaclyn Victor recently appeared as a guest on the latest episode of the “You Shu’d Know” podcast, hosted by Syuhaida Ariffin. During the broadcast, the interviewer asked the singer whether she had ever felt out of place in a Malay-dominated industry at the time when she first started out. In response, the mother-of-two shared an opinion she had heard from someone regarding her victory on Malaysian Idol.
“Somebody once said that I shouldn’t have won Malaysian Idol because I wasn’t Malay. This was early in my career, and it made me think, ‘Where else was I supposed to sing? Indian Idol?’ It was really shocking,” she said. What was even more surprising was that the person who expressed this racist opinion was someone she knew in the industry. However, she did not specify, nor offer any clues as to who that person might be.
Jaclyn clarified that the comment was not made directly to her face, but that she had heard it from elsewhere. Although she was initially shocked, she did not let one rude remark stand in the way of achieving her dreams. “I’m Malaysian, I was born and raised here, and I speak the national language. This person’s opinion does not define who I am or what I do. There will always be things said about you [in this industry], but at the end of the day, you just have to do your job and work hard,” she stated.
It is truly shocking that someone Jaclyn knew would make such a comment, as fans would certainly find it hard to imagine a reality in which she did not win “Malaysian Idol”. Thankfully, she has learned to push through and has proven just how incredible she is with the many milestones she has achieved over her 20 years in show business.
Watch a snippet of the episode below:
@yousyudknow Ada orang pernah kata yang @Jaclyn Victor TAK patut menang Malaysian Idol kerana dia bukan orang Melayu. Hhmmmm.. Jangan macam tu. Kite kan orang Malaysia. Lahir di Malaysia, IC pun Malaysia. Kite patut berbangga dengan Talent yang ada pada Jac ni. Apa-apa pun Jac tetap work hard seperti rakyat Malaysia yang lain. Episode penuh ada kat link. Jom layannnn.. #podcast #yousyudknow #malaysianpodcast #malaysianidol #idol #melayu #bukanmelayu #malaysian #rakyatmalaysia
