The third season of popular local reality singing competition, Big Stage, got off to a controversial start when a contestant scored only two out of 100 marks.
Judge Ajai, a renowned singer-turned-producer, gave the measly two points – the lowest score yet given by a judge in the history of the show – to contestant Hafiz Zainal after his rendition of Frank Sinatra's Fly Me To The Moon during the show's first episode on Aug 16.
Big Stage is a singing contest comprising 12 contestants who went viral for their singing but are looking to take their career beyond social media.
Hafiz, 28, is known as the singing dentist, having developed a following on Instagram as a singer while working full-time as a dentist.
"Don't hate me, doc. I didn't give you any points for your singing because you were out of tune from the start to the end," Ajai explained the reason for his decision.
Ajai then asked Hafiz if he noticed he was out of tune during the performance. Hafiz replied he did.
"Next time, don't just realise it, be alert. When you're out of tune, don't continue singing in the same key," he continued.
"Even if you need to stop singing for a moment and hum to yourself to find the right key, that's fine. Then the performance would've been better."
He ended his critique, stating: "Or better yet, you could've just fainted."
Twitterverse was immediately abuzz. Netizens not only questioned Ajai's scoring criteria, they took issue with his choice of words, particularly the "fainting" remark.
Many are even calling for Ajai to be removed from the judging panel.
At a press conference after the show, Ajai reiterated his decision: "By right, I wanted to give zero (score). If you sat for the ABRSM exams, even if you made a small mistake, you went slightly out of tune, you've failed the whole exam."
ABRSM is an established, international music examination board from the United Kingdom.
The 44-year-old judge, who was one half of the popular 2000s duo Nurul & Ajai, said his intention was not to bring Hafiz down but inspire him to do better.
"Today, this happened. But probably next week, you'll learn from this. Why not go from zero to hero? Don't let this zero keep you down, perhaps this could be a blessing to you."
Broadcaster Astro will be retaining Ajai as a judge for the moment, Astro Ria channel manager Emarina Kamal told F8Buzz.
"For now, we won't be removing him as a judge. Ultimately, the goal is to shape them to become better performers. It doesn't mean that just because he's a harsh judge, he isn't a good judge at all.
"Back in school, you may have a a disciplinary teacher who was very strict, but to this day, we remember their contribution. And maybe that's the catalyst that helps us become better. Of course, his words could've been more refined."
As it was a non-elimination week, all 12 contestants remain in the running for the top prize.
Big Stage Season Three airs every Sunday at 9pm on Astro Ria (Ch 104).
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