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Anggun has a blast in 'Asia's Got Talent'
Up close: Asiaâs Got Talent judge Anngun C
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span class="inline inline-center">Up close: Asia's Got Talent judge Anngun C. Sasmi receives a souvenir from Indonesian contestant Rifky Ardiansyah in Jakarta during a press conference to mark the talent show's premiere. JP/Awo
Those are among the acts that can be found in the latest talent competition, Asia's Got Talent.
The show is the 63rd adaptation of the Got Talent format, a global phenomenon conceived by British reality TV celebrity and music producer Simon Cowell, and has been aired in 186 countries.
In the first season of Asia's Got Talent, which has its world premiere on March 12 and is aired by AXN, 199 hopefuls from 15 countries across the continent are competing in the hope of becoming the next global star.
All they have to do is captivate the audience and the panel of judges ' consisting of Grammy winning music producer David Foster, former Spice Girl Melanie C, Taiwanese-American pop idol Vanness Wu and Indonesian rock icon Anggun C. Sasmi.
Anggun, who previously appeared as a judge in talent variety shows Indonesia's Got Talent and X-Factor Indonesia, said she was thrilled to see various kinds of talent in the show ' from musicians and dancers to comedians and acrobats.
'There were performers from Mongolia. I have never been there. Their performance somehow took my imagination to that country. I imagined I was horse riding there. That gave me a chill,' she said during a press conference in Jakarta.
The 40-year-old diva admitted that she felt a bit nervous auditioning Indonesian performers. 'Every time an Indonesian contestant shows up, I feel excited and pray that the performance is great, because I want them to succeed.'
Among 26 Indonesian contestants joining the show, there is 15-year-old Rifki Adriansyah, who has just been awarded a scholarship by a conservatory in Belgium.
Anggun, however, was upbeat that Indonesian talent had what it took to lure the audience and judges.
'David, who has performed several times in Indonesia, once told me that many quality singers and musicians come from Indonesia. It is not just about the techniques. We Indonesians have the soul [to perform].'
Since the shooting of Asia's Got Talent began, the judges have grown close and have even given nicknames to each another.
'It's just something we do for fun. David is the Dream Crusher because he can instantly slam a contestant by saying 'your voice is off-key'. I'm dubbed the Wicked Witch of the East and Melanie is the Wicked Witch of the West. Meanwhile, Vanness is the nicest in the world, a handsome guy,' she said.
Anggun, Mel and Vanness love to make fun of 65-year-old David's high performance standards.
'We sometimes tease David Foster because he is older. So when he doesn't like a contestant, we say 'yeah, you don't like the performance because you're old',' Anggun chuckled. 'But we have a mutual respect.'
Performers must get the nod from a majority of the judges to secure their spot at the next level. But there is a game changer: the Golden Buzzer. Every judge has one chance to press their Golden Buzzer that will automatically channel their selected talent to the semifinal stage, regardless of what the other judges think.
The winner of the first Asia's Got Talent is entitled to a US$100,000 cash prize and a chance to perform at Singapore's Marina Bay Sands.
Responding to the possibility of an Indonesian winning the top prize, Anggun said: 'As judges we choose, but after that the public will vote. It depends on how the public support the contestant. Hopefully, people in Indonesia can vote for local talent to shine'.
The show, Anggun said, was just a stepping stone to global fame, but she added that the success of the winner's career hung solely on his or her hard work.
'The public can vote, but it's up to the winner, whether he or she can utilize this platform to make a lasting impact for their career,' she said.
The talent show reminded Anggun of how challenging it was for her to be globally recognized. In the 1990s, Anggun left her successful singing career in Indonesia for Europe, starting from the scratch.
'Back then, there was no such platform. I went overseas to build my own reputation and I worked hard. If there was a show like Asia's Got Talent, I might have joined the audition. Now it's time for aspiring talent to seize this chance.'
