The News Straits Times (NST) - 18/06/2009
DENNIS CHUA speaks to two Akademi Fantasia contestants who did not make it in the reality singing competition’s sixth show but are now carving out their dream careers.
MILEY Cyrus, as Hannah Montana, once said: “Life is a climb, but the view is great when you reach the top.”
Nadia Haswani Hasnan, 19, and Ika Nabila Rahim, 20, fully agree, and are determined to become respected entertainers in their own right.
Nadia, who finished fifth in Akademi Fantasia 6 (AF6) last year, aspires to become a successful singer and songwriter, and looks up to the Astro reality show’s first female champion Norsyarmila (Mila) Jirin.
Ika, who finished 13th, is working hard to become a successful actress, and has appeared in several telemovies.
She looks up to Mila’s fellow AF5 star and television personality Gadaffi (Dafi) Ismail Sabri, one of the show’s bankable faces.
Kuala Lumpur-born Nadia, whose family hails from Taiping, has her own event management company Nadia Cribs Entertainment formed early this year.
Nadia said: “I’m busy working on a hit single, and next month’s the target for its launch. While I’d very much want to release an album, the time is not right. Thus, I’m taking things one step at a time by getting a rock-oriented single out first.”
Nadia plans to hone her songwriting skills, with help from credible names in the industry, when she gets an album out.
“Faizal Tahir and Aizat Amdan are two talented singer-songwriters I’d love to learn from and collaborate with. They are our new bright stars,” she said.
On Mila, she said the 22-year-old Penangite always encouraged her to believe in herself.
“Mila is generous and caring. She reaches out to all of her reality television juniors. She has always advised me that I can make it despite not winning a contest because in the industry, talent and showmanship makes one a true winner,” Nadia said.
Nadia hails Mila as a model entrepreneur. Last August, Mila launched her own company Luvmila Corporation Sdn Bhd, which manufactures herbal beauty products.
“I’d love to launch my own products, preferably Gothic fashion, someday,” Nadia said.
The elder of two siblings, Nadia learnt to sing in her early teens, as a student of Sekolah Menengah Desa Tun Hussein Onn, Kuala Lumpur.
“My parents love to sing, and so does my younger sister Dianah. My parents gave me their full support once I completed my studies,” she said.
Nadia won a karaoke contest at Cerana Restaurant in Jalan Cheras when she was 14.
Three contestants — Fify Ahmad, Ayu Tekhary and Anith Lim — became her close friends and entered One In A Million 3 (OIAM3).
Nadia subsequently joined the band Lord Justice and performed in Hard Rock Cafe, among other venues, for two years.
Nadia was accepted into AF6 after unsuccessfully auditioning for OIAM1, OIAM2 and Mentor 2.
“It was great that I joined AF6 because I was trained by Ramli M.S. He pushed me, but he had a great sense of humour,” she said.
Nadia is also an actress and is currently starring in the sitcom Angguk Angguk Geleng Geleng.
She recently performed with the Youth Symphony Orchestra of Istana Budaya and recorded a duet, Dia, Aku Dan Kamu, with Indonesian rock group Red Peanut.
Nadia performed the title track for the horror film Histeria and hosted a Rakan Muda television programme.
“Musical theatre is another field I’d love to enter. I’m a big fan of Puteri Gunung Ledang and P. Ramlee because they are about Malaysian stories,” she said.
Mila credits her junior as a “strong and independent” person.
“Nadia’s determination inspires me. She has her own company, dabbles in acting and aspires to create her own musical style. She’s a winner in her own right,” said Mila, who will soon perform with Akim of AF7 and launch a karaoke album.
The eldest of four siblings, Ika was born in Mila’s hometown of Teluk Kumbar, Penang. However, her family was originally from Selama, Taiping, and comedian Shamsul Azhar Alaiddin (Shamsul Ghau Ghau) is her relative.
A student of Sekolah Menengah Sungai Nibung, George Town, Ika joined AF6 a year after completing National Service.
“The three-month stint in National Service toughened me up, preparing me physically and mentally for my entry into the entertainment industry,” she said.
In AF6, Ika was one of the “slow learners”.
“While AF6 was my first major singing contest, I did participate in smaller contests back home. Even though I was a ‘disaster’ in singing, my instructors encouraged me to use my talents in acting and hosting,” she said.
Ika met Dafi shortly after AF6, and he encouraged her to prove herself as a credible actress and host.
“Dafi told me that there was no such thing as a ‘loser’. I’m forever grateful to him for this,” she said, adding that he had proved to be “more than just a good-looker”.
Ika has starred in four telemovies — Zati Dan Si Mawas (with her favourite actress Liyana Jasmay), Cinta Zanita, Suara Dari Kubur and Awan Dania.
She will soon appear in the historical film Pahlawan Mat Kilau.
“While I’m still a supporting actress, it’s a good training ground,” she said, adding that she wanted to play the “good, bad and funny”.
Ika is a great fan of Rosyam Nor and Vanidah Imran, as well as Hollywood’s Angelina Jolie.
“They are living examples of perseverance. Rosyam has become a producer, host and mentor, too.”
Ika adores Dafi because he is a “caring and sensitive big brother”.
“He’s the one I turn to when I’m down,” she said, adding that Dafi was an exemplary “flab to fab” success story.
Dafi, who will soon graduate with a sound and music design diploma from Limkokwing University, said he was impressed with Ika’s resilience and wished her all the best in her career.
“Ika proves that everybody deserves a second chance. Singing was not her forte, but she is proving herself as a credible actress, and a disciplined one at that,” he said, adding that he sometimes co-hosts Astro programmes with her.
**nanti aku paste video disebalik tabir photoshoot nih yek… hihi
Nokia Lover :)
