Jonathan Leong - Singapore Idol

Singapore Idol

Auditioning for the popular reality series among thousands and eventually reaching the finals held at the Singapore indoor Stadium of the television show with eventual winner, Hady Mirza, is Leong's first foray into mainstream media attention.

In the early part of the competition, Leong sang Matchbox Twenty's "If You're Gone" to cinch his place in the top 12 and was an early media and crowd favourite after that performance. During jazz week, his rendition of Nat King Cole's "Unforgettable" cemented his position as a hot favourite in the competition. However, the performance that won the hearts of the Singaporean population was his take on Irish indie rock band Snow Patrol's hit song, "Chasing Cars", which placed Leong as the media's favourite for the title. Leong finished the competition as 1st runner up in the finals held in the Singapore Indoor Stadium where he performed to a full crowd of more than 12,000 people.

The nationally televised singing competition put Leong's distinctive baritone voice on the map and made him one of the most recognizable faces and voices in the Singaporean entertainment scene. It did not come as a surprise when Leong was offered a record deal (from chief Singapore Idol judge, Ken Lim) a year later, the chief judge was remembered to have said on air (after the announcement of the final results) that Leong had what it took to "be a regional star, anytime." .

During the competition he garnered a huge fanbase, self named the 'Jonatics'. Leong has mentioned on some occasions that he was initially uncomfortable with the word, "fan" and prefers to refer to his fanbase as "supporters" as he felt that the "fan" sounded 'rather snooty'. His fanbase has been well aware of Leong's longtime affinity with animals and have adopted a dog and a monkey in his name at a dog society in the case of the former and the Night Safari for the latter.