[Watch] Jaclyn Victor: Someone Said I Shouldn’t Have Won Malaysian Idol Because Of My Race
Jaclyn Victor shared in a podcast about the time someone said she shouldn’t have won Malaysian Idol because she wasn’t a Malay person.
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Malaysian singer Jaclyn Victor recently went on You Syu’d Know, a podcast hosted by TV presenter and newsreader Syuhaida Ariffin, to share something shocking she was told after she won the Malaysian Idol in 2004.
In the short TikTok clip promoting the show’s 25th episode, Victor told Syuhaida that she heard from the grapevine that someone said she shouldn’t have won the singing competition because she wasn’t a Malay person.
@yousyudknow Ada orang pernah kata yang @Jaclyn Victor TAK patut menang Malaysian Idol kerana dia bukan orang Melayu. Hhmmmm.. Jangan macam tu. Kite kan orang Malaysia. Lahir di Malaysia, IC pun Malaysia. Kite patut berbangga dengan Talent yang ada pada Jac ni. Apa-apa pun Jac tetap work hard seperti rakyat Malaysia yang lain. Episode penuh ada kat link. Jom layannnn.. #podcast #yousyudknow #malaysianpodcast #malaysianidol #idol #melayu #bukanmelayu #malaysian #rakyatmalaysia ♬ original sound – You Syu’D Know
Victor admitted that it was a shocking statement to her at the time and jokingly asked if she was supposed to compete in Indian Idol, eliciting laughs from Syuhaida.
Victor said she’s a Malaysian who was born and raised in Malaysia. She also speaks (and sings) in Bahasa Melayu, the national language.
Since years have passed, Victor said what the person said doesn’t matter and the person’s opinions didn’t define her life and what she does.
There’ll be all kinds of things said about you and I think at the end of the day, you really need to focus on what you want and keep working. Keep working , keep working hard.
Jaclyn Victor
Based on Victor’s achievements after winning Malaysian Idol, she truly walked the talk.
Her debut album “Gemilang” under Sony BMG won the Best Pop Album and Album of the Year awards in Anugerah Industri Muzik 2005 (Malaysia’s equivalent of the Grammy Awards). The title track in the album also won the main prize at Anugerah Juara Lagu in 2005.
The highlight of her career was performing at the 2011 and 2017 SEA Games. She only filmed her first proper music video in 2006 for the song “Ceritera Cinta” with Indonesian singer Rio Febrian.
She also started her own music label Rag Doll Record and self-produced her single “Kembalilah” in 2023. This year, she released two singles: “Sesal Tak Bermakna” in August and an English funk-tinged dance track “B.D.T.” in November.
Victor has gone on to win several more awards for her musical works. As of 2024, she has won 10 Anugerah Industri Muzik, 5 awards in Anugerah Juara Lagu 2, Anugerah Bintang Popular, 2 Anugerah Planet Muzik, and an Anugerah Skrin.
Additionally, she won “Most Promising Actress” for her role in the film Talentime at the 2009 Malaysian Film Festival.
In short, she’s one of the most acclaimed and successful music artists in Malaysia.
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