Saturday, October 10, 2009

Singapore Idol Top 10 : Mae Sta Maria

Mae Sta Maria, 27
29 October 1981*
Married to Michael Sta Maria
*same birthday as Charles!*
updated : 10 Oct 09

Spectacular 4 : A Tribute To Michael Jackson
Performing : I Want You Back
Fave MJ Song : I Want You Back
Voting details : Not available yet. Watch this space!

MJ Week Interview :


If you had 1 minute with MJ, what would you say/do?
I’ll just hug him and thank him for making me a better entertainer. I’ll also tell him that I always knew he had a difficult life and that people were mean to him, but through it all, through the bad times, I always believed in him and believed he had a good heart. If I could make up for all the hurt he’s been through I would.

If you had 1 hour with him, what would you do?
I will ask him to teach me how to do the moonwalk properly.
I’ll ask him to sing ‘I Want You Back’ for me. It my most favourite song ever. I would love to dance with him too and just have fun. I believe he lost a lot of his childhood and I’m very childish, so we’d get along really well.

If you had 1 day with him, what would you do?
It blows my mind. One whole day. I can’t even think of what to do! There’s just so many things I want to do with him!
I would love to get away from everyone and treat him to a day of normalcy. Hang out at my mom’s house, play with my nieces, eat homecooked food. That would be what I would do for him, cos he’s already done so much for everyone else. (Mae got teary eyed just thinking about this! awww!)

Did you believe the child molestation allegations?
Nope, totally no.
I believe he has a lot of baggage and problems that he had to deal with himseld and the way he handled it was to spend time with kids. He’s very childlike and they may have taken what was an innocent gesture or action the wrong way.
That’s how they repay someone for his kindness.
I don’t think he had problems with the ‘sexual’ side.
I think his problems had to do with not having the chance to live a normal life.

When you first heard that there would be an MJ themed spectacular, what was your reaction?
And now that you’re through and will be doing an MJ song, how do you feel?
When I heard it, I like died cos I was so happy! I already got to sing ‘I’ll Be There’. No matter what song I have to do, I’ll still be happy. The producers, vocal coach, anyone, can choose any MJ song and I’ll do it. Just to be able to sing an MJ song is already a bonus!
Right now, I feel good. I don’t know which side of MJ to emulate, concentrate on the song or the dancing?

What will you be singing and why did you choose to do that MJ song?
I will be singing my favourite song ‘I Want You Back’! Its my favourite song, I love it, and it gives me a chance to dance a little. I plan to do a few signature moves, but I’ll be sure to focus on my vocals.


Spectacular 3 : An Asian Feast
Performing : Nobody by The Wonder Girls

Asian Week Interview :
Who is your favourite Asian artiste?
Taufik and Sammi Cheng - can't choose la!
I love Sammi from way back when she did that movie called 'Feel 100%'. She is very cool. Remember that era when she would have one of her eyebrows drawn as the Nike tick? Awesome stuff! I hardly buy albums, but I have Sammi Cheng's album back in Australia.

Who's the sexiest Asian star in your opinion?
Rain! Phwoar!

Who is your favourite Asian person?
My Dad, Hans Vernie. He came up with that name himself you know. Its from his uncle's name which is Vernon. His actual name is Abidin bin Mohd. Kunjung!

Favourite Asian food?
Rojak! No wait, chilli crab! And Japanese food!

Favourite Asian destination?
Islands around Thailand! And Japan too, because I wanna find out more about where I'm from.
(Mae's Dad is apparently half Japanese!)

What Asian culture fascinates you the most?
Indian and Japanese cultures. Cos I have never met my direct relatives which makes me really wanna figure out where I'm from and their cultures. I have Malay relatives and I really want to get to know them too.

What Asian trait are you most proud of?
Family values and how we love hanging out with our families.

What is the one Asian superstition you've held on to since you were a child?
Don't cry in front of food cos you may perpetuate your sadness. And my Mom used to always tell me, 'Don't spit in the air, cos it falls on your face!' <-- OMG, hahahah lovin' Mae's Mom's sense of humour! Good one Aunty - I'll be sure to tell my children this :)



Random facts about Mae :
  • Loves animals (she hid a turtle in her bedroom drawer for 2 weeks undiscovered)
  • Loves plants (she helps pick up potted plants that have been blown over by windy storms)
  • Felt like Miss Universe when it was announced she was #13 in the Top 13!
  • Can do a mean Michael Jackson 'moonwalk'
  • Had blonde hair for 4 years (dodgy...)
  • Is part Portugese, Dutch, Chinese, Japanese and North Indian!
  • Is a Neat Freak :)

summerr thinks you'll love Mae because :
Mae's the kinda girl everyone is instantly friends with. She's warm, open and friendly, and can talk your ear off from the minute you stick out your hand and say 'hi'.

Since the transition from Top 24 to Top 13, Mae's lost some of her dearest friends in the competition. Close buds Gabby and Jon didn't make it through. You can see from this vid (shot by Izked) taken at the keycheck session right after Piano Show 2 Results, that it was bittersweet. She says her next song is killer, see below for a sample :)



Back to her chirpy self after the short 'break', Mae has made new alliances with her new Top13 cohorts and is totally ready to show people her 'moves' with Lady Marmalade. Plus, she has an extra reason to celebrate, Mae's husband Michael has finally touched down in Singapore!

Here's a sample of Lady Marmalade, recorded last week at choreo.




And here's a pic of Mae with Mike (and Charles and Sylvia) just after Monday morning's radio interview at 987FM. Aww... reunited...at last!












Here's a look at Mae's idol journey clip from the Piano Shows and her last performance, "Better In Time" by Leona Lewis.


If you wanna know more about Mae, check out the previous profile I did on her here.

Find Mae online :

34 comments:

  1. Aarghhh.... miss her live performance at Spectacular #1 as she sang first. Came back late to catch her sing. Anyway thanx whoever for uploading the video here though it will not be as grand as the live.

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  2. Not sexy enough for the song IMO

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  3. Just saw all the pictures and even the tweets by summerr about the red carpet event F1 Rocks as it was happening. You are really lucky Mae being 28 and your hubby gets to go to these events with you whike the other guys who is as young as 16 doesnt get to bring anyone. I hope its not wrong to say that anyway he is handsome.

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  4. I LOVE MAE :D SHE IS AWESOMEEE <3

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  5. Hello Mae ,

    If you stop all the drama probably you will go far, otherwise you will be out soon:)

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  6. Kinda agree wif the above. But I just personally think there're also other choices (in SI 3) for a more idol worthy female contender in this season. Since she had once tried out at Australia Idol (bcos she lived there), I'll be not interested to root for her. I am very sorry about this but I just don't like the fact that Singapore is being known as a nation who has to depend on Foreign Talents or any local who has been ripened from another country - I'm saying this for the long-term interests of Singapore with regards to meeting overseas demand for our music and products. Honestly, I prefer to vote for a Female contestant who has lived in Singapore, waiting to be discovered and marketed in a Singapore's talent show. Good luck Mae, nevertheless.

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  7. To the anonymous above just to correct you not once, but six times she tried out for Australian Idol

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  8. mae seems very fake and pretentious to me..

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  9. Although she seems more experienced than other girls, her voice is just ordinary. Don't think she'll be marketable - she's not even prettier than other girls. If she has won Australian Idol, would she even considered Singapore idol? While I am not a idol fan, I've started to vote for other girls for the first time, as she seems to have rich voters from Australia backing her - and also because she seems aggressive in promoting herself. I hope my votes will make a statement that we have no sort of homegrown talents (which is true!)

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  10. Hi jaho,i dont agree with you on we dont have home grown Talents..go check out youtube for local singers you'll be surprised..i think for those talented who try out at SI their exit way too early, just recently the fronrunner was out so soon. if only there is a Talent search without having to vote maybe spore can realize these hidden talents.

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  11. so harsh, abusive and quick to judge. yup, you guys fit the bill as channel 5 viewers. i dont see as much of these bad comments from talent shows like anugerah or project superstar.

    no wonder our industry isn't blooming, instead of focusing on improvement and positive critique, you encourage negativity. you guys have no idea how you are slowly ruining not only people's dreams, but the country's talent as a whole.

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  12. To the anonymous replying my post:
    Yes, I much agree with you especially about the existence of our home grown talents (in fact I thought they are many but not quite famous in the western and international music market, so I only remember local talents like Anita Sarawak, Corinne May, Stefanie Sun, Tanya Chua, Joi Chua and Ho Yeow Sun (sun ho) who manage to be quite 'big' abroad. Besides that, I think Daphne Khoo (past SI contestant) is very talented too, her music is pretty appealing. However, the point I was trying to make in my post was: I will be voting for some of this season's SI contestants who are homegrown talents with potential to be big in the international music scene (rather than being limited to the regional one) - I am supporting them since I guess the show is looking for such individuals. By the way, I think you're very right about your last sentence - I'd prefer them to bring back the 'Talentine' show which seems to be more transparent and accountable to the viewers. With voting being needed and chargeable, I guess this would have discouraged most of the nation to vote, and even caused the show its appeal (i.e people losing interest in the show becos the winner with supporters who are willing to spend on voting, will have the edge.) I had ever doubted the integrity and credibiliy of the show in promoting the talents - but as I happen to have some favourites in this SI season, I don't feel good if I don't vote at all.

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  13. correction to a part of my post: it should be "I'm supporting them because I just want more of homegrown talents to be able to shine in their post idol journeys - though they may not be experienced in terms of vocal chops, I feel they should be given a chance to be groomed to improve and shine later on in their post idol journeys."

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  14. who care's if mae lived in australia? watch her video on yotube wbout her being a singaporean. she had no choice but to go live in australia, at the age of 16. she now says as an adult, she has decided to come back to her home.

    she's talented, preety and amazing. i will keep on supporting mae!

    p/s: she isn't fake, in fact she's one of the most honest and sincere idols.

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  15. If Mae wins SI, you'll have the first pretentious girl winning. She isn't honest, she isn't sincere. Fame grabbing more like it. I could go even further in details but I wouldn't.

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  16. To all those who oh so love negatively commenting on Mae:

    You don't even know her and you have bad comments on her. TYPICAL SINGAPOREAN WAY! I'm a Singaporean myself and I am so ashamed. C'mon Singaporeans, wake up! Give everyone support! After all, they're all holding pink IC's damnit. Be it anyone of them, they are all Singaporeans. They are all trying their very best, they need our support and motivation!

    Dissappointed Singaporean

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  17. To the Anon above, quit generalising as you do not know if everyone here is really Singaporean. And you're being delusional to call that "TYPICAL SINGAPOREAN WAY" - if you go to American Idol forums, the comments made on Adam and Kris Allen are many times worse! And they are Americans working very hard too but got bashed brutally by fellow American viewers.

    Bottom line is - if the contestants cannot handle critiques and such s.h.i.t from the public, then they should NOT join this competition which will put them into limelight and be subjected to the Public's scrutiny of their private lives and even their slightest flaws.

    Ever asked why successful talents like Taylor Swift rather not join such competitions, but can still sell albums.

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  18. well, they even have "vote for the worst" website, how better can they do than Singaporeans who are at least civilised enough to rather not comment if they don't like the contestants.

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  19. Hey Mae Star!! Ur a star! Seems ur the mature among the rest.. But u showed them of being experience one! My 6 years old nephew thinks ur hot!! haha Good luck all the best ya'wl!!

    Budd

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  20. Budd's 6-year old nephew is my son, Rayyan, and yes!! he loves you and Amira (by default cos she's his cousin)= >!

    We think you are sweet and sincere and we love you too!! All the best in the competition...

    Leny H

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  21. Mae Sta will be in the top 5 as I predict. her rendition of that Leona Lewis' song was fantastic. I've actually seen Leona perform that song on video and frankly, I think Mae Sta did a wonderful job when she sang it. With that song, I know that she has lots of potential in this contest. I am pretty worried for Mae Sta after her last performance the MJ era. She sounded bad and so did everyone else!! If there was a sound man for the idols that night?? I think the sound man was crap and he needs to go for a clean up and work on his inner ear to get it cleaned...It's filled with shit. Mae Sta, If she wants to stay in the top 5 like I am predicting...she has got to get rid of that emotions and get right back to her cool,smiling and confident self like when she performed her rendition of Better In Time. Mae Sta should concentrate more on her performance instead of her emotions and that's her main fall back. Nevertheless, I will be voting for her till the top 5 and then, see what happens next. I Hope she will get a hold of her emotions! Friends and supporters of Mae Sta..Tell her not to listen to those bad blog comments published in the net and forums. She will still be on my voting list..
    My honest top 5 prediction:( not in order ).
    1)Mae Sta
    2)Sylvia
    3)Tabitha
    4)Sezairi
    5)Faizal
    Good Luck all of you!!!

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  22. Just because Mae speaks well you all say she is not sincere or honest. Just because Amira don't have good diction you all blast her. Just because Sezairi got girlfriend, you all attack his girlfriend. Seriously. I totally 1000% agree with Alex (way up above), Channel5 viewers are the whiniest bunch of couch potato judges ever. i've followed Project Superstar and it has never spiralled to be this negative. Anugerah also seems like one big happy family (although I don't really follow, but my Malay friend who follows says its very positive). Why can't our local programmes and talents receive such support?

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  23. Actually I have been posting regularly at the official Project Superstar Season 1 website forum which happened in 2005. Have you seen the negative comments being directed to Kelvin Tan Weilian or some other contestants? I am really surprised to read that you say Project Superstar has never spiralled to be this negative while I didn't follow the Project Superstar season 2. Probably it has improved?? correct me if I am right. By the way, not all contestants here receive negative remarks - so you can't assume that our local talents are not receiving support. What people wants to say, we can't control. Since I am not a fan of any contestant, I am unable to tell who deserves more negative or positive comments.

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  24. sorry, i disagree with Alex - because the amount of support for our local talents or programmes cannot be measured by just basing on the amount of negative vs positive comments.

    to make sure our local talents flourish, we need to do more just write to critique. do you buy albums by Electrico, Tanya Chua and Taufik, etc? If you didn't buy, how accurate can you judge if people are really supporting local talents?

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  25. I think Mae did a very good job yesterday singing Kiss by Prince. It was alot better than last week when she sang hero. But give her some credit. She hit ALL the notes when she sang her, its just that she was sick and there was no power in her voice. Honestly, how many people can do that. Nevertheless, she redeemed herself this week. Ken is deaf. How can he compare mae sta to sylvia or tabitha. Firstly, mae sang much better than sylvia yesterday. I cant wait for Mae to blow me away next week when she sings "SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW". after she sings this song you all will understand me when i say MAE STA MARIA HAS VERY STRONG VOCALS. And it is nothing compared to anyone's vocals in Singapore Idol. GO MAE... YOU ARE MY HERO!!!

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  26. Well Done Mae Sta!!!! Just be yourself..

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  27. maybe mae can get some pointer from a 17 yr old girl how to sing this song with both sweetness and power combined. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxHzuSxPy50

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  28. Now that Mae is out! I kinda think that Singapore Idol has lost it's professionalism, excitement and enthusiasm to people like me and those who look forward to Wednesdays to watch the show. It's a shame to see good singers like Mae Sta who put the stress unto the other contestants so as to make them really work hard to earn the title as Singapore Idol! So, all you top six contestants, I am very sure that you are now happy that Mae Sta is out! If any of you wins this contest..I am sure you will not be as special as you think, coz this contest is now proven to be shitty. Clearly, yesterdays show has proven that the Singapore Idol will be won only through voting and not through having criterias such as having an outstanding voice and good performance. The people who vote are simply not voting according to how they are supposed to vote.Ladies! Voting for the reason that the idol is cute, adorable, sexy and all that jazz! Your vote really stinks! Think of the other contestants who are really working hard and who has good voices, and great potential for the Idol title. They are then eventually kicked out due to stupid and shitty votes.Those who know about making the right choices for the Singapore Idol...I guess you don't have to waste your precious time coz this years' idol contest really sucks!! This years Sigapore Idol will be a corbon copy case of the Asian Idol where Hardy Merza won! Damn shitty votes then, for the other countries, the fans just couldn't afford to vote. Even through Hardy's reactions when he was pronounced the winner, he too was shocked! Go and get a recap on you tube, the Asian Idol and watch it. Malaysia or Indonesia should have been the ones to win. They wiped out hardy Merza! Hardy, Sorry Dude, it's the truth! Comments on the Judges: 1) Dick! you should stop flattering the girls on how beautiful they are, how well they dress, nice hair do and all that crap!..Wake up Dick! This is a contest not some fish tank in Geylang where you can take a choice home.Common, where is your professionalism in the music business???? You want Tabitha? Go see her Dad after the show and propose!You have been flattering her with your comments about her pretty face, looks, her being sexy and wow I can go on..... Judge them accordingly Dick! You've slacked, really slacked!
    2) Flo, you are there too..not being professional at all! Praising them about their appearances and what not.( helmet hairdo, trade mark glasses, nice outfit ) OMG! What are you guys doing as judges?? Get paid to do what? Play a fool??
    3)Ken, you are full of shit as well. Trying to be a Simon Cowell?? Dream on..You started off well giving from the heart comments and giving good pointers for the contestants to improve. All this turned sour when you built up hatred in your heart and eyes even when the contestants did well. I was watching you all the time and I've noticed that when the fans shout disagreement to your bad comments, you keep it in the heart and then put it all on the contestant that they are supporting. Common Ken, go get a life! I hope in the next Idol contest,the judges get kicked out even before the contest starts. Bye Singapore Idol! Even our neighbouring states think you suck too! Producers! Change the panel of judges please!!!! or go Talent Time where you don't need votes to judge but have real good judges like before! That will be just fantastic!!

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  29. To The Doctor - stop flaming Dick or other contestants. Your comment is totally uncalled for, and smack of arrogance - because it shows that you're trying to bring down other contestants by bringing up their names.

    The truth is: Dick also favours Mae - when she was so sick trying to struggle with her "hero" rendition, Dick Lee tried to find excuse for her (by suggesting that she was sick) to compensate her poor performance. Her rendition of "Over the rainbow" is flat throughout and her voice cracked at hitting high notes - it's so grating to listen to (generally). While Mae's rendition of "over the rainbow" is one of the worst among many renditions of "over the rainbow", Dick Lee still said that Mae's grating rendition is Beautiful (while Duane is NOT given a single credit for improving) - the judges also have been practising BLATANT Favouritism for Mae too - almost every week, Flo and Dick have praising her sky high, to the heavens.

    Mae was added to the Top 12 by the Judges whom you (The Doctor) now criticised and despised - so what's MORE you want? Sorry that it's NOT a fair play to me if she will be given the Judges' save.

    If she is really outstanding in beating the guys, she does NOT need the judges' save. The truth is, she is relatively good - but passable.

    From someone who has NO favourites in this competition, but a neutral viewer.

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  30. To The Doctor, one of the MAIN reasons why Mae did not go far - is because of fans like YOU. Your comments had also appeared earlier on Duane's and Malaque's page here at Summerr's blog. Reality check for you. Aside from this, Mae had some inconsistent performances. Speaking of stage presence and looks, other contestants also have. And Mae is not the Best! Sorry Summerr, I really feel the urge to voice out that Mae's fans have been very arrogant in putting other contestants down. This certainly has not earned her more votes.

    And to be very honest - the reality is - the Males are certainly going to advance in the TOP 3 - whether we hate it or not - this is voting pattern in Singapore and if you speaks to most youths, Mae is certainly not in their favourite voting list. But she is also NO Susan Boyle in beating the guys. Enough said!

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  31. Whatever it is, the contest is still on and I just wanted to get my views out to those who agree with the fact that the system in Sin Idol has got to improve. Anyway, I wish all the top 6 contestants the best of luck in this years Idol contest. For the fans, I hope you do vote proper or there will be many other dissapointments. i will never watch this show again till I hear that it has improved for the better. Goodbye Singapore Idol!

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  32. To: MAE
    I really loved your rendition of "Somewhere Over The Rainbow". Best ever :)

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  33. I miss Mae Sta here in Singapore Idol. Not forgetting Nurul and Malaque..

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