This year marks two decades since local singer Hady Mirza won singing competition Singapore Idol.
In a recent interview with AsiaOne, the 46-year-old looked back on his career, recalling its highs and lows.
“When I don’t think about it, it feels like yesterday. So much has happened within these 20 years. I think it’s been a beautiful journey. Of course, there has also been a lot of ups and downs,” he said.
“There’re a lot of things that I can look forward to at the age of 46. I feel like it might have taken a long time for me to feel this way, but I do not have any regrets. I think this is how it was supposed to be like and I’m really in a happy situation right now. I couldn’t be happier.”
Hady was the winner of the second season of Singapore Idol in 2006. He’s also the first winner of Asian Idol, beating contestants from Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam and India in 2007.
From 2007 to 2012, he won eight awards at the Singaporean award ceremony Anugerah Planet Muzik, which also nominates artistes from Malaysia and Indonesia.
But Hady, who has been married to his non-celebrity Malaysian wife Nurjannah Nur Wahid for 12 years, admitted he wasn’t prepared for the fame.
“That for me was really, really too early on [in my life]. I would say I wasn’t ready for that kind of intense attention,” he remarked.
Hady stopped performing in 2013, for what he called a “sabbatical”.
“I felt like me being a creative artist was not really moving anywhere. So I had to reset and I moved on to do some small businesses here and there,” he explained.
He ran a home-based chilli tempeh snack business under the name Tempting Trading, also doing pop-ups at events where he sold health drinks and “all kinds of recipes and menu” from his mother.
It was good at the beginning, he said, but the scene started getting saturated with more pop-up events happening in a year.
“The sales weren’t doing that well, I figured that we couldn’t keep on going like this. There was so much wastage, so much manpower and time spent, but there were no returns,” he recalled.
“F&B is like that. It’s a very challenging business.”
Then came 2018, when Hady’s “biggest setback” happened.
He was sent to Drug Rehabilitation Centre in Changi Prison complex for offences involving marijuana, spending two months in rehab,.
“That was when I literally lost everything. Even my finances went down to zero, but luckily there were people around me who helped me, including my family and extended family,” he shared.
“It was a very good lesson,” he said, adding: “If you [want to] talk about the worst I’ve been, like really down, that was definitely it.”
‘I climbed back up’
In 2019, Hady returned to the limelight, telling us that was when he “climbed back up”.
He made his comeback in the sixth season of Malaysian singing competition Gegar Vaganza. He won the competition, sharing first place with Malaysian singer-actor Naqiu Boboy.
It was reportedly the first time two champions were crowned in the show.
In 2023, Hady participated in All Stars Gegar Vaganza where he finished second to Malaysian singer Jaclyn Victor, with only five points separating them.
He said this win was one of his biggest triumphs.
“It was such a big stage, competing against all the other winners of Anugerah, so much pressure and so many things going on…My creativity showed during that season. I found that my maturity and my ability to handle stress [improved],” he said.
“Even though I did not win the competition, I think second place was more than enough for me. I wasn’t expecting to win anyway.”
‘It was surreal’
With National Day coming up, we had to ask Hady about the time he performed at The Float @ Marina Bay for Singapore’s National Day Parade (NDP) in 2008.
He sang the theme song Shine for Singapore and he laughed as he recalled how nervous he was.
“I just tried to keep my composure on the stage…I was like, ‘Okay, just do this properly and don’t do anything to mess it up. The whole of Singapore is watching,'” he recounted.
To him, it was “surreal” and a “big deal” to perform at the NDP.
More recently, Hady performed at National Day Concert 2026 at The Meadows in Gardens by the Bay, which also saw singers Rahimah Rahim, Mazhai Megan and Benjamin Kheng.
Those who missed the live celebration — or wish to relive it — can catch the full concert on Channel 5 and Mewatch on Aug 10 at 7.30pm, with a repeat telecast on Aug 15 at 5pm.
Highlights will also be available on Mediacorp Entertainment on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and Facebook. More information is available on mediacorp.sg/ndc.
Being a judge for Anugerah 2026: The Cut
Hady also recently joined the judging panel for Mediacorp’s Malay talent competition Anugerah 2026: The Cut.
After its open auditions in June, 40 contestants were cut down to 14. The finalists went through masterclasses helmed by Hady, fellow singer Najib Ali, vocal coach Babes Conde, content creator Zhin Sadali and Sujadi Siswo, the Chief Editor of Mediacorp Malay News and Current Affairs and Head, Malay Community Engagement.
As someone who has participated in four singing competitions, Hady said it’s great to be sitting at the other side of the stage.
“I want to make use of this pool of talents to ensure that our music industry has something new and something that we could be excited about. I’m really excited that the talent that we have has very high potential,” he said.
Hady also related to the contestants and hoped to share his knowledge and “tricks of the trade”.
“I really understand how they feel, how they want to approach things, how their mental state should be and how to stay healthy, because the competition is two to three months of constantly having to arrange everything from your outfit to the song to how to perform. There’s also dealing with the media and being media-savvy,” he said.
“I can share my experience just to give them a heads-up or to guide them, to show them how it should be done, so that they are more composed, and then they can make full use of the stage time that they have.”
While vocal control and pitch play a part, Hady said what he looks out for most in contestants is the “heart”.
Anugerah 2026: The Cut airs live every Tuesday at 8.30pm on Suria.
Episodes as well as the auditions for the top 14 are also available on Mewatch and Mediacorp Entertainment on YouTube.
Viewers will have a say in the competition. Audience votes account for 20 per cent of each contestant’s overall score while the judges’ scores make up the remaining 80 per cent.
Voting will be available at mediacorp.sg/anugerah, where Meconnect users can cast up to 20 votes per day. Voting opens every Wednesday during the weekly live show and closes after the last contestant has performed.
Career considerations, becoming a property agent
Hady currently resides in Johor Bahru and Singapore, the latter being his mother’s home, travelling between the two for work.
We asked if he has ever considered taking his singing career to Malaysia.
“Most of my work is done in Singapore, but for Malaysia, I think you will have to be based in Kuala Lumpur, because that’s where the majority of the jobs are,” he said.
He named a few Singaporean actors who are now based in Malaysia, such as Hisyam Hamid and Adi Putra.
Hady said after his contract with broadcaster Astro for Gegar Vaganza was done, he had to find other means for a work permit in Malaysia.
“I’ve always tried to be based in Kuala Lumpur but I do not know why it never seemed to work out. It’s not like I was really desperate for it to work out because I still have my career in Singapore,” he said.
Right now, he’s focusing on his singing career here as well as his new venture, property.
In June last year, Hady shared he had become a licensed property agent two months earlier. It took him two years and four tries before he finally passed his Real Estate Salesperson examination.
He told us he wanted to challenge himself in the exam, saying his mindset back then was: “If other people can do it, I’m sure I can.”
“Of course, when I was going through the revisions and booking for the exams, there were so many doubts and challenges, time constraints, time investments in terms of going for the classes and studying. It was not an easy thing,” he admitted.
“There are so many other 20 year olds and 30 year olds still taking the exam and they couldn’t pass. So last year when I was 45 and I took the exam and passed, it was like, ‘Wow, this is an achievement in itself.'”
Taufik Batisah, the winner of Singapore Idol’s first season, is also a property agent.
When Hady announced becoming one, the 44-year-old fellow singer commented on his post about them working together.
Has it happened yet?
“No, but we met each other. We had a football game with his property agency versus mine,” said Hady.
Nevertheless, he isn’t opposed to the idea.
“It’s not even been a year, and I think we haven’t had that opportunity yet. But of course, I’m looking forward to it. Why not?” he smiled.
‘I’ve always seen myself as a singer’
Hady has tried his hand in acting, filming in Hungary for 2008’s Sense of Home with co-star Debra Teng.
But it seems actor Hady won’t be making a return anytime soon.
“I think I’m better at singing… I mean, I’ve always seen myself as a singer. When I was growing up, I always pictured myself on stage singing and belting out. Acting is another form of art but I guess singing has always been what I’m better at lah,” he said with a laugh.
He shared how he started singing.
“When I was 18 years old, I went around Singapore to see a lot of bands because I really love singing… When I turned 20 and after my national service, I worked at night in a band because that was the best way for a singer to hone your skills,” he recalled.
He did that for five years, inspired by music icons such as Michael Jackson and Freddie Mercury.
Teasing his new single, plans for another concert
Before his break from music, Hady released two albums — the self-titled Hady Mirza in 2006 and Sang Penyayi in 2009 — as well as the single Betapa Berat Cintaku in 2012.
In 2025, he returned with a duet with Malaysian singer Erra Fazira titled Jika Masih Ada, a soundtrack for the drama Nikmat Hanya Sesaat.
In January this year, he released a new recording of his 2009 song Ku Tetap Kan Menunggu before his fun Hari Raya song Sekejap Dah Raya the following month.
His newest single Tempuh was released on July 10, and it’s only the first of many to come.
“At the moment, I’m focusing on releasing really good singles, and I’m really lucky to work with these people right now with the same wavelength as me, releasing the songs that I’ve always wanted to write and sing,” he told us.
He already has a few prepared and he teased an upcoming duet with a singer whom he didn’t reveal.
During the interview, he said he was in the midst of finalising the vocal arrangement for it.
He hinted: “The concept is already all planned out…The singer is someone that everyone likes. Everyone loves her.”
Hady held his first solo concert at Theatre @ Mediacorp in 2024, and he said he has plans for another after all his planned singles have been released.
When asked when, he said he doesn’t want to put a date on it just yet.
Glad everything happened the way it did
After being in showbiz for two decades, Hady told us he “uses everything as a learning lesson”.
“I do not really have regrets. I’m glad everything happened the way that it did, and like I mentioned before, I’m in such a good place and mental state right now. Everything is so clear,” he shared candidly.
“Some lessons, of course, you really have to take note of and know to never do again. But other than that, I think I do not have any regrets. I’m really happy. I’m happily married, even though we do not have kids. But I think that’s also for a good reason. God knows best.”
He shared his wife is also starting a new career path, and everything has been good for the couple.
Adding on to what he’s realised through his tumultuous career, Hady said he has learnt to avoid “thinking too much”.
“Thinking too much is a waste of brain cells and resources. You can use them to just go forward and do the things that you’ve always wanted to do,” he said.
“You just have to keep your head straight and go and do it.”
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