Line of fire: Judges Bebi Romeo, Anggun C. Sasmi, Rossa and Ahmad Dhani.

The reality TV singing talent show sphere got more crowded this year, with new additions of X Factor Indonesia and The Voice. So how are they doing in making themselves heard?

Come prime-time viewing hours on Friday night, Twitter is all, well, atwitter. The attention-getter is X Factor Indonesia: viewers give running commentary on the performance of the finalists, rally around their favorites and spout off about the comments or song choices of the quartet of judges.

Entertainer Tika Panggabean is a fan. “I like it because the contestants are talented, there is a range of ages and they sing a variety of songs, including a lot of oldies,” she said.

Social media buzz is not the only indication of the popularity of the new RCTI program. Footage of performances of the contestants are the first thing people face when they visit YouTube; Monday morning’s office “how was your weekend?” updates are likely to include a reference to the show, or at least the sometimes barbed repartee among the judges.

Win or lose, the singers themselves have also quickly become household names (it’s no mean feat to have almost every Tono, Dino and Hari knowing your name in this celebrity-loving
nation of 240 million people). There is the cute, headscarf-wearing Fatin Shidqia Lubis, who wowed the judges at her audition with her unusual raspy voiced delivery of Bruno Mars’ Grenade; equally cute boy-next-door Mikha Angelo; already ready-for-prime time Novita and Shena, the bespectacled young woman who can belt out a tune.

Even gentle giant Dicky Adam, a shy, soft young man who sounds like a dead ringer for his idol Lana Del Rey, gained legion followers (and quite a few mean-spirited detractors) before becoming the first contestant to be eliminated from the show in February.

It’s clear X Factor Indonesia is enjoying phenomenal success. It has quickly drowned out the clamor of the much-vaunted The Voice on Indosiar, and has put in the shade the third season of IMB. Or, rather, that could be the final nail in the coffin. The latter show, which is not limited to showcasing singers but also includes a broader range of talents, among them pole dancing and fire-eating, seems to be dying a slow death, despite the delicious entertainment value of comedian Soimah hamming it up and impishly making fun of fellow judge Syahrini.

What accounts for the show’s particular overriding “x” appeal to viewers? Here’s my take.

Fresh format: Talent shows are nothing new to Indonesia; there was the region-wide Asia Bagus program in the 1990s, where several Indonesian talents made their mark, the AFI franchise at the beginning of this century, followed by the arrival of the big daddy of Indonesian Idol, also an RCTI program. But X Factor Indonesia presents a fresh and fun format for Indonesian viewers; unlike the Idol franchise, whose American version was already broadcast by RCTI, most Indonesians without cable TV had not seen the foreign versions of this show. Of course, it also makes Idol appear tired in comparison.

Talent of today: The show has been able to tap into the talent of the young generation of today; confident, savvy to the world, able to hold their and take what they want and need in this interconnected age. And yet they are still thoroughly, winningly Indonesian. Contestants have names and faces that viewers are able to identify with, instead of becoming the blur of a stable of forgettable hopefuls (to wit: while we remember young hip-hop dancer Brandon, Klantink the buskers and soprano Putri Ayu from season 1 of IMB, we would be hard pressed to name anybody from the second running of the show).

They also choose to sing in either English or Indonesian and are accomplished in performing songs in both languages. It’s about being assured without the need for look-at-me grandstanding. With talent at the forefront, there is a refreshing lack of the tug-at-the-heartstrings, hard-luck stories of many reality shows.

Winning combo: When it comes to talent shows, a lot of their success or failure boils down to the quality of the judges and how they jell. Just take a look at American Idol; when Paula Abdul hit the road, even with her ditziness and enjoyment of being way, way out in left field in her choices, the replacements failed to blend in with the old-timers of Randy and Simon. But X Factor Indonesia producers have come up with a clever mix of judges, striking the right balance between dominating personalities and more level-headed types.

“The jury is just right, they’re not lebay,” said Tika, the latter word referring to overacting and clamoring for attention.

There is Ahmad Dhani, reprising his role as the no-holds-barred meanie from Indonesian Idol; Anggun C. Sasmi, with her cachet of experience and maturity from her years abroad; Bebi Romeo, who is measured and insightful in his opinions; and Rossa, who wears her heart on her sleeve, including getting annoyed last week after she was criticized for her choice of the song Don’t Speak for Fathin, who was all of one years old when it was a hit for No Doubt.

Again, nobody is vying to outdo others or jostling for more air-time than their peers; Dhani likes to grate on others, as is his way, but for the most part it is good-natured ribbing. The emerging public favorite is Anggun, the die-hard supporter of Dicky and niche talents who is gaining a new, younger audience of fans through exposure on the show (her cheeky quip that “the entertainment business isn’t as smooth as the thighs of [girl group] Cherrybelle” went viral). And isn’t it great to have a celebrity, even one who now lives abroad, speaking Indonesian without self-consciously throwing English?

Ultimately, perhaps it is not so much about the imported formula striking the right note in its local adaptation, but what it really says about members of Indonesia’s young generation today. That they are clever and talented, and are blessed with the ability to mix it up with the best of them (they don’t need to lip synch to get ahead, something that at least one judge from another talent show – no moniker mentioned – could learn from).

Now it is all about giving them the opportunities to succeed, here in their own backyard and beyond. And that will be truly exciting for Indonesia.

—Photos courtesy of Kapanlagi.com

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