Jaclyn Victor is staging her first solo concert on Oct 12 at Zepp Kuala Lumpur. Photo: AZMAN GHANI/The Star
When singer Jaclyn Victor talks about her 20th year in the music industry, she seems almost surprised by the milestone herself.
“I have not really had a chance to pause for a second to think, ‘Wow, it’s been 20 years’,” she affirms to StarLifetyle in this exclusive interview.
“If I sound a bit sceptical, it’s because it’s a hard thing to achieve, you know, to be relevant for such a long time.
“It has just finally sunk in that I’ve been singing for 20 years,” says Jaclyn, or Jac to everyone who knows her.
In these two decades, her story of going from an unknown to a shining star has been retold time and time again.
It goes something like this: Jaclyn, who turns 46 this year, made her debut in 2004 as a contestant on the singing reality show, Malaysian Idol.
After gruelling weeks of competition, the Kepong, Kuala Lumpur girl was voted as the first Malaysian Idol, snagging 76% from almost one million votes cast for the two finalists, the other being Dina Nadzir.
That victory launched her career in the recording industry starting from the song Gemilang, which she first performed live at the finals of the talent show.
Jaclyn Victor and Dina Nadzir at the finale of Malaysian Idol in Genting Highlands. Photo: Filepic/The Star
That was just the beginning: she’s had many other personal wins including bagging multiple awards at Anugerah Industri Muzik (2006, 2007, 2011 and 2012) and Anugerah Juara Lagu (2006, 2008, 2012).
That winning streak continued as recently as 2022, when she participated in Astro’s music reality TV show Gegar Vaganza (GV) emerging as the champion in the ninth season of the series.
Judges comprising fellow artistes also crowned her the champion of last year’s All Stars Gegar Vaganza where she competed against her peers like Siti Nordiana, Tomok and Hady Mirza.
Despite all these achievements, Jaclyn says: “Although it’s been 20 years, it feels as if I’ve just started my journey.
“I don’t want to label myself a late bloomer, but it almost feels like I am finally coming into myself ...
“I’m more in charge of my career ... and what I mean by that is, I don’t lean in too much on what other people think.
“For a long time, I just said yes to everything, but now, I get to have a say in my own path.
“So it’s been a learning experience for me, and I’m just really grateful.”
To mark that growth, Jaclyn is staging her first solo concert on Oct 12 at Zepp Kuala Lumpur.
“I’m just really excited about the plans that I have for the concert and moving forward.”
Songwriter Aubrey Suwito (left) and Jaclyn Victor at the 20th Anugerah Juara Lagu, where Gemilang was named as Song Of The Year. Photo: Filepic/The Star
Mixing Malay and English in her conversation, Jaclyn acknowledges she’s walking in the footsteps of other non-Malay artistes like Francissca Peter, Reshmonu and Vince Chong in penetrating the Malay music industry.
As with changing times, Jaclyn wants to see more openness and diversity in the Malaysian music industry.
“I hope to inspire others to step out of their comfort zones and not box themselves into a specific category,” she says of her legacy.
“It’s important to be brave and try new things ... If I hadn’t been willing to take that risk, I might be doing something entirely different.”
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
It all started with her participation in the first Malaysian Idol in 2004. Photo: Filepic/The Star
Jaclyn began singing at a young age in church.
Knowing she’s blessed with the gift of a melodious voice, the eldest child in the family went to work as a club singer to contribute to the family’s finances. Her mother, Maggie Victor, raised Jaclyn and her three brothers by working three jobs after their father passed away in 1988.
Jaclyn did this for eight years before Malaysian Idol changed everything.
Now a single mother herself – to Jonah Joshiah, nine, and Molly Marguerite, seven – Jaclyn is appreciative of what she went through.
She married American R&B artiste Shawn Rivera in July 2014 and divorced in January 2020.
Can you share how your approach to performing has changed over time, like say with Gemilang?
A lot of how I sing and ad-lib comes from my years performing in clubs with a band.
Imagine singing Hotel California, I Will Survive, or Simply The Best every single night, sometimes twice a night.
You have to find ways to make it interesting for yourself, and that’s where I learned to ad-lib so much.
It’s become natural for me to think, “Can I go there vocally? Can I try this with the chord?” I don’t like singing a song exactly the same way every time.
When it comes to Gemilang, I’ve been performing it for 20 years now, and I’ve probably sung it over 1,000 times, especially at corporate shows. But I always find ways to make it fun for myself.
I like challenging myself to try something new with the song each time. It’s not just about hitting the notes – it’s about keeping it fresh and exciting.
Is working at clubs how you gained most of your foundation?
I learned some good stuff and some not so good stuff.
When you’re performing every night, you are like a jukebox, people don’t really care about how you feel, they just want to hear you sing.
So I didn’t have to emote, I just sang.
But that time was like my (time in) university – it’s when I learned how to project my voice and control it, the tricks of the trade because I never learned how to sing.
I made a lot of mistakes during that time. I’d lose my voice because I didn’t know how to take care of it properly.
But over time, I learned what my voice could handle and how to use it better.
After winning Malaysian Idol and launching your career, do you remember what you bought for your family or yourself first?
The most significant thing for me was buying my own house.
I won Malaysian Idol in 2004, and by Christmas of the next year, we were in our own home.
It wasn’t a brand new house, but it was in an area I had always admired and thought, “Wow, I want to live there.”
It was a big deal because where we came from, it was just unheard of: “How can someone pay that kind of money (for a house)?”
Growing up, we lived in my grandmother’s house, and it was always a hand-to-mouth situation. So to be able to buy that first house was an achievement.
Your children are fortunate they don’t have to face such a situation.
I don’t know if it’s a fortunate thing or not.
Experiencing hardship makes you more driven, to do better.
When everything is handed to you, you don’t appreciate it as much.
I try to teach my kids about the value of things.
For example, when they’re being picky about food, I’ll say, “Do you want to eat this or eat nothing?” because they don’t know what it’s like to go without.
I’d like to take them to an orphanage or somewhere that shows them the reality of life for others, so they don’t take things for granted.
I work hard to provide for them, but I want them to understand the value of hard work and not grow up thinking everything will always be handed to them.
It sounds like you’re appreciative of your background.
I used to get asked this question a lot: “What keeps you grounded?”
While I’m grateful for where I came from, I also don’t want to go back to that.
God has always been good to me, and I believe He will continue to provide no matter what.
My background keeps me grounded, and I hope to instill the same values in my kids.
Known for her vocal prowess, Jaclyn has proven to be adept at singing in all genres.
Over the course of six albums, she has recorded ballads like Di Pohon Asmara, Bertamu DiKalbu and Perempuan, as well as dance numbers like Seindah Mimpi and Satu Harapan.
This year she released two singles – the energetic Kejutkan Aku and ballad Sesal Tak Bermakna.
Although she’s a pro when it comes to singing live, Jaclyn was never in a hurry to stage a big-scale solo concert.
She felt she’s not reached the level of Datuk Seri Siti Nurhaliza and Datuk M. Nasir, who have had many hit songs and have performed to large crowds effortlessly time and again in their career.
It was only this year that Jaclyn felt ready for the challenge.
Why is this year the right time for your solo concert?
In the past, if the topic of a concert came up, my first thought would be, “Who’s going to come?”
Why did you think that way?
I think there are certain criteria for having a concert.
If people are coming to watch you sing, surely they want to hear your own songs. So, for someone to hold a concert, you probably need a certain number of your own hits.
Back then, I was so focused on my shows and collaborations that I wasn’t thinking about concerts – I wasn’t that ambitious or driven in that way.
I was happy to be working and putting stuff out there, but concerts weren’t really on my mind.
I won Malaysian Idol 20 years ago, and then about 18 or 19 years later, I won GV9 and then All Stars GV the following year.
These competitions have really pushed me forward ... and I’ve started to come into my own.
Jaclyn Victor emerged as the champion in the 'All Stars Gegar Vaganza' show. Photo: Jaclyn Victor/Instagram
What can fans expect from your solo concert?
Since I’ll be singing approximately 25 songs over two and a half hours, it has to be seamless – no long pauses.
It’s like radio – you can’t have dead air. So while I’m changing (outfits), something has to be happening to keep the flow going.
I’m not sure how many (outfit changes there will be). Rizman Ruzaini will be designing my clothes.
Is doing a solo concert more nerve-wracking for you than a singing competition? The pressure is the same, but it’s two different kinds of pressure.
But I think having jitters is a good thing – it keeps you on your toes. I hope I never get to the point where I don’t feel nervous anymore.
Tickets to Jaclyn Victor: First Solo Concert at Zepp Kuala Lumpur on Oct 12, priced between RM258 and RM688, with VIP box for 10 at RM8,888, are available at www.livepass.asia
