How has your day been so far?
My parents bought me breakfast. I had porridge. I brought my dog for a walk. And I drew a picture. I’m still drawing it. It’s of The Lady and the Tramp (Note: he’s seen the cartoon at least10 times) for my friend’s birthday today — I didn’t have time to buy a present. Went to visit my auntie. Came here.

You looked like you had a good time on both the performance and results show, especially with Hady and Electrico. Is it because you got to front a band?
Yeah, I did. I like that song, I like the band, Dave (Electrico’s lead singer) is my friend. It’s like a jamming thing with my friends.

Disappointed that you didn’t emerge as the winner? The judges seemed to anticipate you as the next Idol with some of their comments (such as Dick’s “Keep singing like this, and you’ll be the Singapore Idol” and Florence’s “Thanks for making this THE Singapore Idol”).
Not at all. No, the title is the title. Somebody has to win, and I’m happy that it’s Hady. (When I heard the results) it was more like, “Congratulations.”

The first words that Ken Lim had right after the results were addressed to you and not Hady. Flattered?
Yes I am. I’m always very flattered — especially when it’s Ken, who says so little. The fact that he said that was very motivating for me. I will work harder. Since he feels that I have the ability to go even further, I will take that seriously. It’s good — I do feel I have more to offer, you know? I’ll work really hard, especially for the upcoming Hyped Up 2006 concert.

He said your journey had just begun and that you can be a star. Have you gotten a call from him yet?
No, no. Just wait and see.

Recently, season one runner-up Sylvester Sim was dropped from Hype Records. Do you think that will have any impact on whether you’ll be offered a contract?
I don’t think you have to drop people to sign someone new right? (Us: They might be apprehensive about signing on someone else other than the winner after this experience) Hady and myself, we appeal to very different audiences. I don’t think we are gonna be competitors after this show. He has his thing and I have my thing. Actually, we really wanted to sing a couple of songs together — hopefully we get to work together.

We get the vibe that you are trying not to think too hard or far ahead at this point in time.
It’s finally over, so I’m gonna take these few days to unwind and take a break before I get busy with the concert. Rehearsals start soon — probably? The concert is in almost a month.

Some people are saying that it’s all like a predictable rehash of last season (Taufik won and Sly lost), but we’re sure you don’t feel the same way.
No. It’s Singapore what. We only have Chinese, Malays, Indians and Eurasians. It’s gonna be one of the four. I don’t know. I think the voters vote how they vote. It doesn’t really matter — I’m happy I got to perform at the Indoor Stadium. It was fun to see the audience, it was so much more fun than the theatre. We had a very good crew who were very serious about the sound checks. The sound system was amazing; the lights were great. Like a real concert.

What did you think of your own final performances? Were you happy?
I enjoyed them all. Chasing Cars was one of my favourite songs. Snow Patrol is one of my favourite bands. I had the most fun with Dreamz FM’s Should I Stay. I didn’t do it the way that Dreamz FM did. Iskandar, myself and Babes, we worked together to find a new arrangement, a new groove for that song. And it was a local song.

Some people have said that your song choice was a calculated move to get voters by supporting local music.
But I do (support local music). I’m from a local band.

Prove them wrong: which are some of your favourite local acts and why?
Electrico, The Observatory, Stefanie Sun, Kit Chan. Dick Lee and Ja too. I like very different kinds of music, not full-out rock. I listen to everything. It’s important to know everything. If not, you’re gonna be pigeonholed.

You own Dick’s records?
I have his Mad Chinaman cassette tape from a long time ago. Can’t play already. I’m not sure who passed me Life. And the compilation of songs (Stories) he wrote for other artistes like Jacky Cheung and Stefanie Sun. I saw Ja before also a long time ago in the musical Cats. She sang Memory.

Did the judges come up to you after the show to say anything?
No, it was too much of a rush, too many things to do.

In your last spectacular, you blogged that you expected to be kicked out as you didn’t perform to your expectations. And we thought these were performances that were perfectly fine.
I kinda messed up for Every Little Thing She Does is Magic. I did something I didn’t plan to do. Timing-wise, I was a little bit off. (Within the competition) I had a bit of a slump, tired with the schedule and drained, but then I’d start to think and come back stronger. I find inspiration from my family, my friends and people who believe in me.

After a while in the competition, it’s all about the fans, family and friends.
And yourself. Not just in competitions too. In everything you do, it’s all about the family, friends and yourself. Passion too. These are what centre my life.

Sure you’ve been asked this for a bit, but what will you miss most about the competition?
Singing to an audience. This is a journey that’s ended, so I’m waiting for the next one. Not really holding on to the past. I’ll see what comes.

You’re easily one of the most recognizable faces in the competition and gained a lot of attention. Has anyone approached you with offers yet?
No, not yet.

What are your plans like for now besides going back to study at NUS?
I’m gonna put more time into reading and listen to more music. There are so many CDs out there that I wanna listen to. I wanna improve my piano-playing and my almost non-existent guitar-playing skills. Write more of my own songs. See what happens.

Will we see you with a new haircut soon?
I don’t know. I cut my hair last week actually, but it looks the same. It’s quite a bit, length-wise. I’m quite okay with my hair now. I can do anything. Cut short also, it’s fine.

Tell us a joke, Jon.
I’m very bad at jokes. Can’t remember any… Can we go on to the next question first?

We can’t help but feel all the seriousness radiating from you. What do you do to unwind and what will you be doing over the course of the next week to relax?
I know. Exercise, go running. Bring my dog to the park. I’m looking forward to go to the zoo, actually. I’m gonna be a Friend of the Zoo. The last time I went was two years ago. I heard they did a lot of changes. So I wanna see it. I really like the zoo, I like animals. Watch movies. I have a whole stack of DVDs I haven’t watched. Computer games. But now that I’m so busy, computer games seem to be a waste of time. They don’t do anything for you, even if you complete them. Then it deprives you of sleep.

Okay, joke. Why is Superman’s shirt so tight? Because he’s a size S.

Missed the Singapore Idol Grand Finals? Catch the encore telecast of the Performance show on Sat, Sept 30, 8pm and Results show on Sun, Oct 1, 8pm on Channel 5.