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Final two face off to be the Final 1

The thing about competitions is that there are no bragging rights for being No 2.

The thing about competitions is that there are no bragging rights for being No 2.

And the title of Channel 5’s reality singing competition show, The Final 1, makes it a point to drive that home.

There can only be one winner of the S$50,000 cash prize and the S$50,000 recording contract with Hype Records tomorrow night at the Star Theatre, where the showdown — which incidentally features special guest singer Natasha Bedingfield — will happen.

And nobody wants to be the second-last man standing: Not Farisha Ishak nor Shaun Jansen, the talented pair who have found themselves the last two dancing precariously around the one musical chair.

The final two are as different as chalk and cheese. To wit, 19-year-old Farisha is the little girl with the big voice, who is due to begin studying for a degree in political science at the National University of Singapore. She took two weeks’ leave from classes in order to pursue her musical dreams of being Singapore’s first R&B artist.

Jansen, her 28-year-old opponent, is the fangirl magnet who has been fronting his band, Supernova, for 10 years. While being a marketing executive for a carpeting company was something he said he could see himself doing for the rest of his life, being “immersed” in music has given him “so much satisfaction” that he wants to continue his musical pursuits.

That’s why we get the feeling that when they go head to head, it’ll be tooth and nail. After all, it’s end of the road for one of them — so who’s going to rest on their laurels now? As they say, it ain’t over until the fat lady sings. And no, we’re not talking about Ken Lim.

Q: The big finale is coming up. How nervous are you?

Farisha: Of course I’m nervous about it because it’s going to be a huge stage. But it’s really exciting at the same time. I’m practising every day. I sing everywhere, actually, but most of the time, when I’m not at MediaCorp rehearsing, I’ll be at home, practising.

Shaun: I’m nervous but at the same time I’m quite excited about it, actually, because this is the make-or-break episode and I won’t have to worry about any other rounds that come after that. I’ll try and treat it like my own concert.

Q: What feedback do you most commonly get about your performances?

Farisha: I think the nicest compliment would be that my voice gives some people goosebumps and I’d like to think of that as a good thing.

Shaun: People like the whole energy I bring to the stage.

Q: How intensely is the competition heating up?

Farisha: To be honest, I don’t think there’s any competitive spirit between us. I guess it’s easier to compare people who are similar, but we’re so different, so there’s no way you can compare who’s better. Both of us appeal to different people so it really depends on who the audience likes in terms of which style they prefer. That’s why I really feel that we both have an equal chance of winning — because we’re so different.

Shaun: I can be (competitive) to a point where it’s scary. Like if I really want to win it, I will do everything that is legal and ethical to win it. (Laughs) I tend to go to extremes. I’m either very, very relaxed about something or I’m really, really on the ball.

Q: You guys have come a long way together. But are you friends?

Farisha: We’ve always had a good relationship throughout the competition. I mean, he was the first person I saw during the audition, so he was the first person I talked to. And now we’re the final two.

Shaun: Yeah, we are. I get this question a lot. The thing is, although we are competitors going through a competition, we are the only ones who can relate to each other, because we’re going through all these new things that most of us haven’t gone through before. So I think that’s how we connect. I think because of that, and spending so much time together as well, we’re closer as friends — not just Farisha but the entire top 11.

Q: When it comes down to the wire, would you go all out to take each other down?

Farisha: Yeah! He’s my friend, but I’m in the competition to win it, right?

Shaun: Yeah, I think I would. And I’m sure she would do the same as well, because friends don’t mix business and pleasure. I think we have that common understanding: That when we do go on stage, we’re just going to do our best to compete. We’re not going to hold anything against each other if we went all the way.

Catch the finale of The Final 1 tomorrow (Aug 21), ‘live’ at 8pm on MediaCorp TV Channel 5.

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