JP/R. Berto Wedhatama

In the eyes of the judges, Igo, as he’s popularly known, was the only one of the 14 contestants who showed significant progress from the beginning until the end of the competition. His efforts improve, at the end, led him to being crowned the “Next Superstar” title during the Indonesian Idol finale, defeating fellow contestant Skolastika Citra Kirana from Yogyakarta.

“At this point, it is perhaps difficult to maintain my quality, but I will continue to learn,” said the 17-year-old boy after the result was announced Saturday night. “I have to keep on focusing and being confident in launching [my career in] the entertainment world. I have to do this on my own way, maintaining my own character,” he added.

Compared to the sweet, jazzy Citra, Igo is more into pop-rock. Composer Erwin Gutawa, an Idol judge, favored Igo for having the whole package to become a superstar. Judge Agnes Monica, on the other hand, sees Igo as a real example of a “zero to hero” story.

“People noticed you kept making improvements,” Agnes said to Igo. “You truly listened to input from everyone and learnt from them,” she added.

Meanwhile, judge Anang Hermansyah praised Igo for his humble attitude.

“People like you, who have shot into stardom, could turn out to be arrogant. But you prove it can happen the other way around — you become humbler and more mature every day,” Anang told Igo.  

Born in Ambon on Feb. 19, 1993, Igo has been singing since he was a kid and has won countless singing competitions ever since. The eldest son of four, whose middle name “Christellgo” is a twist from a religious line “go tell Christ”, also loves to play guitar and Maluku’s traditional instruments tifa and tobobuang.

Igo said he knew he had a talent for singing, so he motivated himself to perform in public such as at celebratory events including New Year’s festivities. Singing, for Igo, also serves as a way for him to deal with personal issues.

“Whenever I fought with my [former] girlfriend, for example, I would call her just to sing and play guitar,” Igo said recently. “I made my own songs for her, to settle our problems through this romantic way.”

Igo’s success in gaining a golden ticket to Idol in Jakarta some five months ago granted him support from his hometown. When he finally made the top-two, the support became larger — with not only the Ambon government promoting him, but also Ambonese celebrities and public figures campaigning for him. Some Ambonese finalists from Idol’s former competitor Akademi Fantasi Indosiar (AFI) even took part in the team.

“This is just the time for Ambon people to mark their history in Indonesian Idol,” said AFI’s finalist Ade Pattihahuan, as quoted by the official Ambon Government website www.ambon.go.id. “Igo deserves the best in this competition.”

Support also came from first season’s Idol’s finalist Karen Pooroe, who helped mobilized Maluku locals to vote for Igo.

“All Ambonese and Maluku people have to support Igo to be the number one 2010 Indonesian Idol,” she said.

Ambon regent M.J. Papilaja even called his staff members to chip in to buy telecommunication vouchers so more votes for Igo could be sent through text messages. This support has paid off, with Igo winning the much-awaited Indonesian Idol, which was postponed last year on the grounds of needing “improvement”.

Now a freshman at Trisakti University’s School of Law in Jakarta, Igo is ready to kick off his entertainment career and compete with other male solo singers in the country. Taking with him the number Kemenangan Cinta (The Winning of Love), a song composed by Anang for the Idol’s winner, Igo promised his commitment to the local music industry.

“I’ve been through a lot. Now I must be ready for the music industry,” said Igo. “Everything I’ve received so far — input and criticism — have served as great assets to continue my journey,” he added.

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