PETALING JAYA, Sept 4 — Viewers of reality talent show Asian Dream have criticised the elimination of Malaysian singer Poova Sri Rama as “unfair.”
Poova, who made it to the final four, performed a powerhouse duet of Alone by Heart with her fellow contestant Karl Zarate from the Philippines in yesterday’s episode.
Judges Michael Bolton, Morissette Amon, and Jannine Weigel praised Poova's vocal chops but criticised her “lack of growth and emotional vulnerability” throughout the competition, which ultimately led to the decision to send her home.
Fans of the show rallied together in the YouTube comments section to voice their displeasure and said that Poova didn’t deserve to be axed.
“Poova did great in this episode. I think the judges are unfair measuring her capabilities in singing techniques,” said one viewer.
“This was Poova's best performance for me! She was the last person that I thought would go home,” wrote another.
“Can’t believe the one to go home is Poova. From the first episode, I was sure she would be the winner.
“She has a great voice like a diva, a lot of experience, and is mature,” one user said.
Poova’s decade-long experience as a singer allowed her to shine in the early stages of the competition but she began to falter after a shaky performance of Aerosmith’s I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing on last week’s episode that landed her in the bottom two.
In her final cutaway interview on Asian Dream, Poova said she was “disappointed” at her elimination but stood by her decision to remain emotionally guarded as a musician.
“I personally don’t feel there’s anything wrong with being guarded. I don’t need to showcase my vulnerability to the world.
“I’m just grateful for being here and to have a one-on-one with Michael Bolton, but this show does not define me as an artiste and who I am as a singer-songwriter,” she said.
Asian Dream premiered on AXN on August 6 with six contestants competing for a chance to perform with Bolton on his next Asian tour.
After her stint on the show, Poova is now gearing up for the release of her Malay single Karya which is slated to hit the airwaves in October.
