It was my first assignment with RippleVox, and I was really looking forward to it. I could not sit still since morning. I kept checking the time, making sure that I'll not be late for the briefing at 4pm. I was excited! I could not wait!
I reported to the RippleVox office along Tanjong Pagar Rd at 4pm sharp.
There was a short briefing with my fellow reporter, Jonathan and the man in charge, Jack. I got my hands on the new RippleVox t-shirt. Within minutes, the journey to MediaCorp began.
Filming of our journey started in the cab. We managed to get past the security gantry amid the state of frenzy at the reception. Throngs of fans were camping outside the MediaCorp office, hoping to catch a glimpse of their Idol. At this moment, I had already felt very privilege and proud to be part of RippleVox. Instead of being among the throngs of people outside, I was actually in the secured area rubbing shoulders with the Idol finalists!
I did not waste anytime. Out came the pens, notepads as the group of us sat down at the table and started brainstorming on our questions. It was not long before our interviewee, Norman Then emerged from the parking lot!
Dressed casually in red t-shirt and jeans, he appeared laid back and humorous throughout the interview. There were no airs at all, despite him being among the Top 12 finalists.
During the interview, Norman says that one of the most important lessons he learnt in his Idol journey was public relations. He learnt how to manage reporters and dealing with the public whenever he is out. These valuable lessons are the ones that he takes with him as he leaves this competition.
When asked if he will try for Idol ever again, it was a straight no from him. He complained about the lack of personal space and time as the primary reason. The competition demands a lot from him and doing it once is already enough.
Norman blames the wrong choice of song and his impulse for his exit from the competition. Compared to others, the wildcards were given only a day to choose a song whereas the rest had weeks to choose. Thus, this eventually led to him not having enough time to think about his choice of song. As he says, the rest is history. He admits his execution of the song was also not up to mark.
According to Norman, his future is in his studies! He will be going back to school to complete his studies. To his fans out there, don't worry, Norman does not rule out a possible return to our small screens! As long as you want him and as long as people approach him, he'll be back!
Francis