The second season of “Asia’s Got Talent” is airing its worldwide premiere on October 12. One of the judges, David Foster, has shared what he expects in this season’s performances.
“I want to find a star,” Foster said in the show’s teaser video. “Set charisma to the highest and nth degree.”
This 67-year-old record producer and songwriter has been the person behind the trailblazing careers of famous musicians such as Christina Aguilera, Andrea Bocelli, Toni Braxton, Jennifer Lopez and Michael Buble. He has also produced the music of Kenny Rogers, Olivia Newton-John, Madonna, Barbra Streisand and Chaka Khan.
Foster has been awarded 16 Grammy wins from more than 40 nominations from the award-giving body. He was part of the debut season of “Asia’s Got Talent,” along with Indonesian singer Anggun, Taiwanese pop star Vanness Wu, and former Spice Girls member Melanie C.
All-new season
“Asia’s Got Talent” is based on “America’s Got Talent” as it features acts from the region. Just like the Western version, the show will run through the same rounds of auditions, quarter-finals, semi-finals and the grand finals that will determine the ultimate winner.
Since it aired its first season on AXN in 2015, it has catapulted amateur and aspiring talents across Asia to international fame. Some of them included El Gamma Penumbra from the Philippines, Khusugtun from Mongolia and Thailand’s The Talento.
New judge
In the second season of the show, a new judge is joining Foster and Anggun on the panel. He is Jay Park, a Korean singer and rapper who has made a name in the United States. He is an award-winning recording artist and the founder of his own record label.
Park recently shared the story of his success to CNN. According to the report, his upcoming success “shows that Asia is not being ignored.” Though he is born Asian, he has dominated the global market through his hip-hop performances.
“David [and I have] known each other already, but Jay is the new kid on the block,” Anggun said. She has produced music in Indonesia but also pursued an international career in some European countries.
New hosts
“Asia’s Got Talent” will have 10 episodes featuring five auditions with the judges watching the acts, three semi-final episodes and two episodes comprising the finals, a performance night and a results presentation that will announce the winner.
The winner will get a grand prize worth $100,000.
“I’m excited to see what Asia has to offer. That’s the beauty of it, I am looking for talent that I could never even think of or an act that I would never think I would see,” Park shared his expectations.
Two new hosts are set to make things even more exciting. Celebrities Alan Wong and Justin Bratton have replaced the duo of Marc Nelson and Rovilson Fernandez during the first season.
“I live by this phrase ‘good is the enemy of great,’ so I’m gonna be looking for greatness,” Foster added.