One Star Search 2019 Finalist May Be Dyeing Her Hair Pink For The Finals
And how are the rest of the first six finalists gearing up for the big day?
After impressing the panel of judges at last night’s (Oct 6) first of two Star Search semi-finals, Juin Teh, Vanessa Ho, Zane Lim, Chang Hio Cheng, Jernelle Oh, and Herman Keh are officially in the Grand Finals on November 3.
While they deserve everyone’s heartiest congratulations (hey, it hasn’t been easy getting to this point), there is certainly no time to slow down or rest on their laurels. With six more finalists set to be chosen at this Sunday's second semi-finals, things are only going to get tougher and more intense as we get closer to finding the next Zoe Tay.
Here, they tell us how they're getting ready for the finals when we met them backstage after the results.
After each competition round, there was an update was about which contestant was at the top of leaderboard — and primary school teacher Hio Cheng topped the rankings each time.
“I was very touched and relieved to know that everything I’d learned from my mentors and seniors had not gone to waste,” she shared when 8days.sg spoke to her after the results. “When I was watching myself in the WeMovie, all the memories from filming came flooding back, and I do believe I have improved one tiny step.”
P/S: When asked if there’s any one contender they think will go far in the competition, celeb mentors Chen Hanwei, Huang Biren, and Christopher Lee all named Hio Cheng. No pressure, though.
And the award for most self-aware contestant goes to Jernelle, who acknowledges her status as the 'dark horse' among the finalists. “I don’t think I’m very tall or outstanding in terms of my looks, so I have to get on purely by hard work,” she chuckled. “But I think I’m a white horse today! (Laughs)” Um, we think she was referring to her outfit.
Juin’s platinum locks may make her stand out from her peers, but if her celeb mentor Hanwei had his way, she’d have to dye it black in time for the finals. “Or maybe I’ll dye it pink instead?” she quipped. “But ultimately, it’s up to the stylists to decide [what hair colour I should have], not me.” Black or pink hair, one thing's for sure. Juin has already left an impression.
Vanessa has one pressing concern about the upcoming finals and that's not messing up in front of a massive live audience. “There’s no room for error so I’ll really have to practise a lot,” she said.
What there is room for is improvement in her Mandarin-speaking skills, which Vanessa says she'll be diligently working on over the next few weeks.
We guess Zane can find a study buddy in Vanessa. “My Mandarin isn’t very strong either so I’ll need to brush up on it,” he admitted. “And I’ll be working on sharpening my acting skills at the same time as well.”
Like Juin, Herman stands out for his hair. When asked if he could ever bring himself to chop off his locks, he declared without any hesitation that he would. “But if I could, I would like to take on a role that lets me keep my hair long before I cut it,” he smiled, before quickly adding this humble rejoinder, “But I don’t even know when I’ll even get a role! (Laughs)”
Hey, never say never.
To watch the Star Search 2019 Semi-final 1, click here.
Star Search 2019 Semi-final 2 airs Oct 13, 8pm on Ch 8 & Toggle (click here to watch).
Star Search 2019 Grand Final will air on Nov 3, 7.30pm on Ch 8 and Toggle.
For more on Star Search 2019, click here.
Photos: Mediacorp photo studio
