Star Singer
 | This article possibly contains original research. (January 2021) |
| Star Singer | |
|---|---|
 Star Singer | |
| Genre | Reality |
| Created by | Asianet |
| Presented by |
|
| Judges | |
| Country of origin | India |
| No. of seasons | 10 + 3 (Junior) |
| Production | |
| Running time | 60–90 minutes per episode |
| Original release | |
| Network | |
| Release | 22 April 2006 – present |
Star Singer is an Indian music reality television competition broadcast on Asianet. The show features contestants aged 15 to 35, who compete based on their singing talent and stage presence. From Seasons 1 to 7, viewer voting was conducted via SMS, with audience votes contributing partially to contestant advancement. Starting with Season 8, voting shifted to Disney+ Hotstar, the official OTT platform of Star Network.[1][2] The competition includes a panel of judges comprising prominent figures from the Malayalam music industry, who evaluate performances and assign scores throughout the contest. In 2009, a spin-off titled Star Singer Junior was introduced, focusing on younger participants.
History
[edit]2006
[edit]Star Singer debuted in 2006, modeled after Indian Idol. Malayalam music director M. Jayachandran served as the chief judge, joined by K. S. Chithra, M. G. Radhakrishnan, Tippu, Deepak Dev, Jassie Gift, and others. The show was co-hosted by Vidhu Prathap, Vidhu Prathap, Rimi Tomy, and Joy John Antony. From around 7,000 applicants, Arun Raj and Kavita Jayaram emerged as winners in the male and female categories, respectively. Prizes included ₹100,000, playback contracts, and performance deals abroad. The season was produced by Prathap Nair.
2007
[edit]Season 2 introduced a new format and was hosted by Ranjini Haridas. Judges included M. G. Sreekumar, Sharreth, and Usha Uthup, with a rotating celebrity guest judge. Over 20,000 applied, 45 contestants were selected after auditions. The winner, Najim Arshad, received an apartment worth ₹4 million. Runners-up included Durga Viswanath, Thushar M.K., and Arun Gopan.
2008
[edit]Launched by actor Suresh Gopi, Season 3 featured judges Ouseppachan, P. Unnikrishnan, and weekly guest judges. Ranjini Haridas returned as host following popular demand. The finale aired live on 25 April 2009, with M. S. Viswanathan as chief guest. Vivek Anand and Sonia Aamod won in the male and female categories. Runner-up Rahul R. Laxman received 101 tolas of gold.
2009
[edit]Season 4 was judged by K. S. Chithra, M. G. Sreekumar, and Sharreth, and hosted again by Ranjini Haridas.[3] Joby John won the title, receiving a ₹10 million villa from Travancore Builders. The finale, held on 1 August 2010, featured judges S. P. Balasubrahmanyam and others. Runner-up Sreenath Nair received 30 million SMS votes.
2010
[edit]Kalpana Raghavendar won Season 5, earning a villa worth ₹10 million. Mridula Varier and Immanuel Henry were the first and second runners-up, winning gold worth ₹1.5 million and ₹750,000, respectively. Antony John, third runner-up, also received a ₹500,000 prize from K. J. Yesudas on behalf of actor Mohanlal.
2011–2012
[edit]Season 6 concluded on 22 December 2012, with Merin Gregory declared the winner. Rajiv Rajasekharan was the runner-up. Judges included Hariharan, K. S. Chithra, M. G. Sreekumar, Anuradha Sriram, and M. Jayachandran. The show was produced by Asianet and directed by Prathap Nair.
2014
[edit]The seventh season of Star Singer started airing in March 2014. The show was hosted by Rimi Tomy and M. G. Sreekumar, who were also the judges, along with Anuradha Sriram. The title winner of Sunfeast Delishus Star Singer was Malavika Anilkumar from Thrissur, Kanimangalam.She has won many competitions other than Idea Star Singer. She won a flat in Kochi worth Rupees 5 million from Confident Group run by Dr. C. J. Roy; followed by Reshma Raghavendra, Aslam Abdul Majid at second and third position respectively.
2020-2022
[edit]The eighth season was launched on 27 December 2020.The show was hosted by Jewel Mary. The launch event was telecasted on 3 January 2021. Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the show was put on hold after 43 episodes in July 2021 and relaunched with a mega event on 2 January 2022.The show ended on 19 June 2022 and the title winner is Ridhu Krishna. He won a flat worth Rupees 1 crore from Confident Group run by Dr. C. J. Roy.[4][5]
2023-2024
[edit]Star Singer Season 9 premiered on 15 and 16 July 2023 and aired on Asianet every weekend. Judged by K. S. Chithra, Sithara, and Vidhu Prathap, and hosted by RJ Varsha, the contestants were initially split into two teams – Convent Music School and Gurukulam Sangeetha Vidyalayam. Though the finale was planned for February 2024, the show was extended after a break following Bigg Boss Malayalam Season 6. The planned finale was held as a 'Summer Festival' (aired on 11 and 17 February 2024), with the Rs 5 lakh prize money shared among the top 10 contestants.[6]
The show was relaunched with a mega event on June 23, 2024, introducing two new wild card contestants alongside the existing top 10. The grand finale was held on October 20, 2024, at Adlux Convention Centre, Angamaly. Aravind Dileep Nair emerged as the winner, receiving a prize of ₹50 lakhs sponsored by Confident Group.[7]
2025
[edit]Season 10 was announced during the Season 9 finale, making Star Singer the first Malayalam reality show to reach 10 seasons. Auditions concluded in Kochi on 2 February 2025, and the show launched on 29–30 March.[8][9] From 35 mega audition participants, 18 were selected for the main stage, with 5 more joining as wild card entrants.[10][11] As of July 2025, the show is on a temporary break for Bigg Boss Malayalam Season 7, with a special Monsoon Festival episode featuring Mohanlal and Usha Uthup aired on 27 July 2025.[12][13]
Seasons
[edit]| Season | Aired from | Aired till | Sponsors | Judges | Anchor(s) | Winners | Finalists | Telecast Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22 April 2006 | 18 February 2007 | Idea Cellular | M. Jayachandran, K. S. Chithra, Tippu / M. G. Radhakrishnan, Deepak Dev/ Jassie Gift / Chitra Iyer/ Sugeetha Menon |
Rimi Tomy, Afzal, Joy John Antony / Biju Narayanan/ Vidhu Prathap |
Arun Raj, Kavita Jayaram |
Weekends only | |
| 2 | 21 May 2007 | 26 April 2008 | Idea Cellular | Sharreth, M. G. Sreekumar, Usha Uthup |
Ranjini Haridas, Meera Nandan |
Najim Arshad | Durga Viswanath, Thushar M K, Arun Gopan |
Mon – Fri |
| 3 | 28 April 2008 | 25 April 2009 | Idea Cellular | Sharreth, M. G. Sreekumar, Ouseppachan,/ P. Unnikrishnan, /G. Venugopal Usha Uthup /L. R. Eswari |
Ranjini Haridas, Ramya Raveendran, Devi |
Vivekanand, Sonia |
Gayathri, Jins Gopinath, Rahul, Prasobh |
Mon – Fri |
| 4 | 27 April 2009 | 1 August 2010 | Idea Cellular | Sharreth, M. G. Sreekumar, K. S. Chithra |
Ranjini Haridas | Joby John | Sreenath Nair, Preethi Warrier, Anju Joseph, Vidhyashankar |
Mon – Fri |
| 5 | 2 August 2010 | 24 September 2011 | Idea Cellular | Sharreth, M. G. Sreekumar, K. S. Chithra, Anuradha Sriram |
Ranjini Haridas | Kalpana Raghavendar | Mridula Warrier, Anthony, Immanuel |
Mon – Fri |
| 6 | 25 September 2011 | 22 December 2012 | Idea Cellular | M. Jayachandran, M. G. Sreekumar, K. S. Chithra, Anuradha Sriram |
Ranjini Haridas | Merin Gregory | Megha, Merin Nandu, Rajeev , Shamshad, Sukesh Kuttan |
Mon – Fri |
| 7 | 31 March 2014 | 21 September 2014 | Sunfeast Delicious | Rimi Tomy M. G. Sreekumar Anuradha Sriram |
Rimi Tomy | Malavika Anilkumar | Malavika Anilkumar Reshma Aslam, Varsha Vaisakhy, Janaki, Manu[14] |
Mon – Fri |
| 8 | 27 December 2020[15] | 19 June 2022[16] | Nestlé Munch & Swayamvara Silks | Sharreth, K. S. Chithra , G. Venugopal, Manjari, Stephen Devassy Guest Jury: Kavalam Sreekumar (Shruthy – final auditions) P. Jayachandran/P. Susheela (Relaunch) Nedumudi Venu (Vishu Special Episode) Shreya Ghoshal (Grand Finale) |
Alina Padikkal (Shruthy Finals), Jewel Mary |
Rithu Krishna[17] | Akhil Dev, Arjun Unnikrishnan, Jeril Shaji, Krithika S, Milan Joy, Rithu Krishna, Vishnumaya Ramesh | Weekends only |
| 9 | 15 July 2023 | 20 October 2024[18][19] | Cutee the Beauty Soap(2023-2024) Pavizham Rice & MyG Future(2024) |
Main Panel:
K. S. Chithra Vidhu Prathap Sithara Krishnakumar Guest Jury: M. M. Keeravani (Grand Launch) Vidyasagar (Relaunch) Hariharan (Grand Finale) |
Varsha Ramesh , Ranjini Haridas (Grand Finale) |
Aravind Dileep Nair | Aravind, Disha, Nanda, Anusree, Balram, Sreerag [20] |
Weekends only |
| 10 | 29 March 2025 | TBC | Indian Institute of Commerce Lakshya & Skei Ice Creams | Main Panel: | Varsha Ramesh, Mithun Ramesh(recurring) | TBC | TBC | Weekends only[21] |
Junior
[edit]| Season | Aired from | Aired till | Sponsors | Judges | Anchor(s) | Winners | Finalists | Telecast Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 September 2008 | 14 February 2010 | Nestlé Munch | Sujatha Mohan, G. Venugopal, Gopinath Muthukad | Akhila Sasidharan | Swetha Ashok | Vishnu, Sadhika, Athira | Weekends only |
| 2 | 20 February 2010 | 15 August 2011 | Nazriya Nazim | Adarsh | Yadukrishnan, Vishnu, Vaishakhi | Weekends only | ||
| 3 | 30 October 2022 | 19 March 2023 | Mercely's Ice cream | Sithara Krishnakumar Kailas Menon, Manjari, Stephen Devassy Guest Jury: K. S. Chithra Mano |
Jewel Mary | Pallavi Ratheesh | Serah Robin, Saatvik S Satheesh, Pallavi Ratheesh, Hitaishini Bineesh, Aryan S N | Mon- Fri (Until 25 November 2022)
Weekends Only (From 3 December 2022) |
Controversies
[edit]SMS
[edit]Asianet has not made clear how the SMS votes are attributed before and after on each contestants reaching the 'danger zone' leading to their elimination. It is alleged that the SMS votes received are not added to decide the ranking of the contestants. The number or the percentage of SMS votes received by each contestants are kept private from the viewers of the show. Since the channel has its reach over 60 countries including the Indian sub-continent, Sri Lanka, China, South East Asia, Middle East, Europe, United States, Singapore and the lower half of the former Soviet Union at various time zones, the SMS voting end-time was initially not announced. Asianet later clarified after the eighth stage that SMS voting deadlines are based on Indian Time.
According to Asianet sources, for the Grand Finale, weightage of SMS was just 5% of overall score with judges' score attributing the rest 95%.[22]
Prizes
[edit]There are criticism from various corners saying that many of the winners didn't actually opt to receive the prizes because of the huge tax they had to pay for receiving the villa. That means the channel's advertisement of getting a villa through their sponsor is questioned. This got more visible in the case of ISS season 4 winner Joby John[23]
References and notes
[edit]- ^ "Idea Star Singer '07 contest". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 24 March 2007. Archived from the original on 31 March 2007.
- ^ "Stars of the Idea Star Singer". OneIndia. Archived from the original on 21 February 2009.
- ^ "Idea Star Singer Season 4 Grand Finale". 29 July 2010.
- ^ "സ്റ്റാർ സിംഗർ സീസൺ 8: വിജയിയായി റിതുകൃഷ്ണ". The Indian Express.
- ^ "സ്റ്റാര് സിങ്ങര് ഗ്രാന്റ് ഫിനാലെ വീട്ടിലിരുന്നും തത്സമയം ആസ്വദിക്കാം, സംപ്രേക്ഷണം ജൂണ് 19-ന് വൈകുന്നേരം ആറ് മുതല്". Samayam Malayalam.
- ^ "Star Singer takes a 'vacation' ahead of Bigg Boss Malayalam". The Times of India. 13 February 2024.
- ^ "Star Singer 9 Grand Finale: സ്റ്റാര് സിങ്ങര് സീസൺ 9 വിജയി ഗ്രാൻഡ് ഫിനാലെ ഞായറാഴ്ച, ആര് കിരീടം ചൂടും?". The Indian Express. 19 October 2024.
- ^ "Star Singer is back with the 10th season; K S Chithra says, 'Keri Vaa Makkale'". The Times Of India.
- ^ "പൂക്കുടയുമായി സൈക്കിളിൽ ഭാവനയുടെ എൻട്രി; നിറചിരിയോടെ സ്വാഗതം ചെയ്ത് മഞ്ജു വാര്യർ". Indian Express.
- ^ "ഒഡിഷന് 6000ലധികം പേർ, മെഗാലോഞ്ചിൽ മാറ്റുരയ്ക്കാൻ 35 പേർ; സ്റ്റാർ സിങ്ങർ സീസൺ 10ന് ആരംഭം". Asianet News.
- ^ "Star Singer 10: 18 contestants enter the competition after the mega audition". The Times of India.
- ^ "From Mohanlal's mass entry to KS Chithra's birthday bash: Here's why you can't afford to miss 'Star Singer 10 Monsoon Festival'". The Times of India.
- ^ "Mohanlal to make a smashing entry on 'Star Singer'; Fans anticipate Bigg Boss Malayalam 7 announcement". The Times of India.
- ^ "Star Singer Finale on 21 September". The Times of India. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
- ^ "സ്റ്റാര് സിംഗര് സീസണ് 8 ഇന്ന് മുതല് ഏഷ്യാനെറ്റില്; ഈ സീസണില് 40 മത്സരാര്ത്ഥികള്". Asianet News.
- ^ "സ്റ്റാര് സിംഗര് സീസണ് 8 ഗ്രാന്റ് ഫിനാലെ ഇന്ന് ഏഷ്യാനെറ്റിൽ". Asianet News.
- ^ "Exclusive! Star Singer season 8 winner Ridhu Krishna: My biggest dream is to become a playback singer". The Times Of India.
- ^ "Star Singer 9 Grand Finale: Everything we know so far about the gala event". The Times Of India.
- ^ "ഏറ്റുമുട്ടാൻ ആറ് പേർ, വിജയ കീരിടം ആർക്ക് ? സ്റ്റാർ സിംഗർ ഗ്രാൻഡ് ഫിനാലെ അങ്കമാലിയിൽ, വിശദ വിവരങ്ങൾ". Asianet News.
- ^ "Star Singer 9 Grand Finale: Meet the finalists of the season". The Times Of India.
- ^ "From Jerry Amaldev and Ouseppachan lighting the lamp to Manju Warrier and Bhavana sharing the stage: Here's everything about Star Singer 10 grand launch". The Times Of India.
- ^ Manmadhan, Prema (4 August 2010). "The new singing stars". The Hindu. Chennai, India.
- ^ http://marunadanmalayalee.com/Jobyjohn-66854.htm [dead link]