Biodata Name: Sufiah Age: 26 Occupation: Operations Officer From: Kuala Lumpur Auditioned in: Kuala Lumpur

Singing Career:

Sufiah has been doing a lot of corporate shows, working on her songs and writing and gathering songs with composers, many of whom are just friends. She has also been gigging in jazz clubs and regularly doing a showcase, once a week when there's opportunity. Her album with Interglobal records will be mainly be pop-jazz and she is currently giving more color to the songs, as jazz can be quite difficult. She says, she does have a say in my album “which is good and fair”. Sufiah says, “It's a big risk, I was trained to do jazz…I think I sound like Aretha, who copied Ella (Fitzgerald), Nina Simone etc. My album will be a little like Joss Stone with Alicia…I will sing until I die, singing is my soul, know what I mean”.

Sufiah also moved house, got an apartment (in Sri Hartamas), loves shopping for it in Ikea and Jaya Jusco and she has managed to go to Kuching and Singapore twice for holidays. She is also spokesperson for the International College of Music (was a student there).

Family, friends and fans…

“Family has been very corporative, they are always guiding and advising you, taking care of you and your image. People occasionally recognize me, but I think people might think I'm sombong . Fans are good, they keep in touch, watch me - but I do think I'm fading away, it could be from the lack of promotion – but hopefully the album will help. But I'm not that worried, I've new fans, older more corporate”.

Personality…

Sufiah has become more relaxed, more outgoing and more bubbly. Not that she was shy before Idol but nowadays she is able to “take and make jokes”. She says she is more focused because singing is her passion. “All I think of is making myself look good, the discipline, better in all areas. In and out I want to be good”.

A word of advice from Sufiah…

“It's ok to be hopeful but don't try so hard. When you try too hard, you goof up. There are long hours of waiting, you will be very tired, hungry, eat B complex, get enough sleep and tolerate the buggers. The first week I drank 7 bottles of Lavita before the show, then you are so hyper then anxious, mentally and physically drained. You can become so mentally focused on winning, that your brain is telling you enough and confused body doesn't know what to do”.

After the Malaysian Idol Finale…

“I was so very nervous, can not remember my lyrics but I was so happy over the outfits, I mean Melinda Looi and Tom Abang Saufi! I was afraid of what's going to happen next, will we have work, just terrified. You are afraid of the unknown”.

If not for Idol, then…

Still selling oil and gas – collecting cylinders from Giant, handling the logistics, and calling my lorry drivers. I'm a contractor; my friends call me a contractor!

Would you do it again?

No way, not for me because I cannot handle the stress. You panic, I can't do that again.