Akademi Fantasia

Akademi Fantasia (commonly abbreviated as AF) is Malaysia's first reality television show in which a number of contestants called students compete for the winning title and a chance to start their career in the entertainment industry. The first season premiered in June 3, 2003 and was one of Astro Ria's highest rated shows. The theme song entitled "Menuju Puncak" was performed by Juwita Suwito, who is the sister of the composer, Aubrey Suwito.

The format of the show is taken from "La Academia", which originated from Mexico. Malaysia is the first country in Southeast Asia to have its own version of the show. Subsequently, it has also been followed by Indonesia and Thailand, which garners positive response in comparison to the Idol series.

The show made its own history in Season 5 when Norsyarmilla Jirin was crowned as the first female winner, breaking the streak of male winners for the first four seasons. The record was later continued when Stracie Angie Anam was declared as the winner of Season 6. On January 13, 2011, it was announced that the ninth season will be the last season of Akademi Fantasia.

Show format

Each season of Akademi Fantasia has 10 concerts including the finale, and starts with 12-16 contestants who are called students. However, in Season 3 and Season 4, a prelude concert was conducted in order to determine the ultimate students. Once the ultimate students are chosen, they will stay in a house called Akademi, practising songs, acting...
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