# Akademi Fantasia season 9

The ninth season of Akademi Fantasia premiered on 2 April 2011 and concluded on 12 June 2011 on the Astro Ria television channel. Aznil Nawawi made a comeback as host along with Fauziah Ahmad Daud and Hattan also made a comeback to judge.
The professional trainers as well as twelve students of this season were revealed in a press conference which took place in ÆON malls in Malaysia| ÆON AU2, Setiawangsa. On 2 April 2011, Amy Search was revealed to be the Principal for this season during Konsert Tirai Akademi Fantasia.
The season was originally planned to be the final season, however the series would subsequently be revived in 2013.
On 12 June 2011, Hazama Ahmad Azmi was crowned the winner of the ninth season of Akademi Fantasia, beating Lenaber Hadir.
This season attracted the lowest reception of votes in the history of Akademi Fantasia, with 3.74 million votes cast.

## Format changes

Several new formats were also implemented in this season. For instance, the location for Diari Akademi Fantasia was disclosed which is at ÆON AU2, Setiawangsa. Students undergo their daily routine as a student of Akademi Fantasia in the second floor of the shopping complex for public viewing. This change is a departure from the previous eight seasons where the location for Diari Akademi Fantasia was not revealed.

### Operasi Gugur

The second change in Akademi Fantasia format is the implementation of Operasi Gugur. In this format, students with the least improvement would be expelled by the professional trainers in order to give an opportunity for new students to join the academy. The announcement was made at the end of the second concert in Season 9 on 16 April 2011.

### Immunity

Another change in Akademi Fantasia format is the introduction of an immunity system where the professional trainers would be given the power to exercise a veto on a student to spare him or her from elimination for that particular week. The immunity system, which consisted of 50% public voting from the audience and another 50% from a unanimous decision made by the professional trainers, was used in the eight concert of this season. The recipient of this system would advance automatically to the final concert without having to perform in the ninth concert. The new format change was revealed at the end of the sixth concert on 14 May 2011.

## Auditions

Auditions were held in the following cities:
* Promenade Hotel, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah - 28, 29 & 30 January
* National Stadium, Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur – 11, 12 & 13 February
In addition to the above cities, for the first time contestants were allowed to audition via online. To audition, they were required to upload audition clip of them singing a pre-approved song in YouTube. Then, they were required to submit their application form together with their video link. The internet auditioners were called back in order to go through the second stage until the fourth stage of the audition. Contestants were required to be between the ages of 18 and 45, and are Malaysian and Singaporean citizens who are not embedded with recording or management contracts.
On 18 February 2011, forty semi-finalists were revealed as the candidates of Akademi Fantasia. Nevertheless, only twenty-five semi-finalists were selected to move on to the next round which was determined through public voting via online and based on professional jury. The online voting commenced on 18 February 2011, and ended on 8 March 2011. The twelve finalists who made it into the academy were revealed in a press conference which took place in ÆON AU2, Setiawangsa.

## Concert summaries
### Tirai Concert

First Air Date: 2 April 2011
| Student | Song (original artist) |
| Afif | "Entah" (Afgan) "Joget Angan Tak Sudah" (Jay Jay) |
| Aida | "Separuh Nafas" (Dewa) "Love the Way You Lie (Part II)" (Rihanna) |
| Amir | "Aku Skandal" (Hujan) "Seribu Tahun" (Imran Ajmain) |
| Azri | "Kopi Dangdut" (Fahmi Shahab) "Yang Pernah" (Estranged) |
| Eka | "Cindai" (Dato' Siti Nurhaliza) "Ku Tlah Jatuh Cinta" (Agnes Monica) |
| Erul | "I'll Be Back" (2PM) "Kasih Tercipta" (Faizal Tahir) |
| Kay | "Ku Berjanji Kerna Cinta" (Anuar Zain) "Kasih Latifah" (Spider) |
| Laika | "Tolong Ingatkan Aku" (Ana Raffali) "Nuri" (Ella) |
| Lena | "Lamunan Hati" (Wann) "Dag Dig Dug" (Haiza) |
| Miza | "I Am" (Mary J. Blige) "Hey Ladies" (Rossa) |
| Nera | "Bertakhta Di Hati" (Farahdhiya) "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)" (Shakira) |
| Raqib | "Susun Silangkata" (Aizat) "Kaulah Segalanya" (Hazrul Nizam) |
* Note: Amy Search was announced as the Principal of this season at the end of this concert.

### Week 1

First Air Date: 9 April 2011
| Student | Song (original artist) | Result |
| Afif | "Cinta Kristal" (Rahim Maarof) | Safe |
| Aida | "Teringin" (Shima) | Safe |
| Amir | "Just the Way You Are" (Bruno Mars) | Safe |
| Azri | "Bukan Untuk Dimengerti" (Judika) | Safe |
| Eka | "Kau Bisu" (Alyah) | Bottom 3 |
| Erul | "Ganas" (KRU) | Safe |
| Kay | "Menyesal" (6ixth Sense) | Bottom 3 |
| Laika | "Ku Bahagia" (Melly Goeslaw) | Eliminated |
| Lena | "Lagu Untuk Kuala Lumpur" (Tom) | Safe |
| Miza | "Akhirnya Kini Pasti" (Anita Sarawak) | Safe |
| Nera | "Aku Lebih Tahu" (Mila) | Safe |
| Raqib | "Yank" (Wali Band) | Safe |
* Guest judge: Adibah Noor

### Week 2

First Air Date: 16 April 2011
| Student | Song (original artist) | Result |
| Afif | "One in a Million" (Ne-Yo) | Safe |
| Aida | "Ilusi" (Adira) | Safe |
| Amir | "Cinta Gila" (Dewa) | Bottom 3 |
| Azri | "Bila Resah" (Anuar Zain) | Safe |
| Eka | "I'm Sorry Goodbye" (Krisdayanti) | Eliminated |
| Erul | "Cinta Untuk Nabila" (Melissa) | Safe |
| Kay | "Selagi Ada Rindu" (Kristal) | Safe |
| Lena | "Kekal" (Ziana Zain) | Safe |
| Miza | "Di Pintu Sepi" (Search) | Bottom 3 |
| Nera | "Aku Dia dan Kamu" (D-Va) | Safe |
| Raqib | "Dan Bila Esok" (Sofaz) | Safe |
* Guest judge: Fauziah Latiff

### Week 3

First Air Date: 23 April 2011
| Student | Song (original artist) | Result |
| Afif | "Kasihnya Laila" (Jinbara) | Safe |
| Aida | "Terlalu Istimewa" (Adibah Noor) | Expelled |
| Amir | "Dilema" (D’Masiv) | Expelled |
| Azri | "Satu" (Dewa) | Bottom 2 |
| Erul | "Awan Nano" (Hafiz) | Safe |
| Kay | "Salomé" (Chayanne) | Safe |
| Lena | "Tiada Tangis Lagi" (Ella) | Safe |
| Miza | "Sofea Jane" (Black) | Eliminated |
| Nera | "Fly Me to the Moon" (Michael Bublé) | Safe |
| Raqib | "Sebelum Cahaya" (Letto) | Safe |
* Guest judge: Norman KRU
* Note: Amir and Aida were expelled from the academy through 'AFGUGUR' after being deemed as the two students with the least improvement. They are replaced by Fina and Hazama based on the consensus achieved by the professional trainers through 'AFSERAP' scheme.

### Week 4

First Air Date: 30 April 2011
| Student | Song (original artist) | Result |
| Afif | "Shoft B'enaiya" (Hossam Habib) | Safe |
| Azri | "Sampai Syurga" (Faizal Tahir) | Bottom 3 |
| Erul | "Wanita Seluruh Dunia" (Projek Pistol) | Safe |
| Fina | "All by Myself" (Eric Carmen) | Safe |
| Hazama | "Srikandi Cinta" (Bloodshed) | Safe |
| Kay | "Kata" (Hazami) | Bottom 3 |
| Lena | "It Must Have Been Love" (Roxette) | Safe |
| Nera | "Diam Diam" (Tilu) | Safe |
| Raqib | "Menghitung Hari" (Krisdayanti) | Eliminated |
* Guest judge: Rudy Imran

### Week 5

First Air Date: 7 May 2011
| Student | Song (original artist) | Result |
| Afif | "Malam" (Search) | Eliminated |
| Azri | "Sungai Lui" (Aizat) | Safe |
| Erul | "Dance Little Sister" (Terence Trent D'Arby) | Safe |
| Fina | "Segalanya Pasti" (Aida Agil) | Safe |
| Hazama | "Noktah Cinta" (Hafiz) | Safe |
| Kay | "Pulanglah" (Awi Rafael) | Bottom 3 |
| Lena | "Ku Menunggu" (Rossa) | Safe |
| Nera | "Gelora Jiwa" (Saloma) | Bottom 3 |
* Guest judge: Edrie Hashim

### Week 6

First Air Date: 14 May 2011
| Student | Song (original artist) | Result |
| Azri | "Sampai Hati" (Spring) | Bottom 3 |
| Erul | "Janji" (Akim) | Bottom 3 |
| Fina | "Ku Ke Udara Lagi" (Francissca Peter) | Safe |
| Hazama | "Hey, Soul Sister" (Train) | Safe |
| Kay | "Stand By Me" (Ben E. King) | Eliminated |
| Lena | "Curiga" (Ning Baizura) | Safe |
| Nera | "Kantoi" (Zee Avi) | Safe |
* Guest judge: Faizal Tahir
* Note: A new format known as the immunity system was introduced in this concert where the professional trainers would be given the power to exercise a veto on a student to spare him or her from elimination for that particular week.

### Week 7

First Air Date: 21 May 2011
| Student | Song (original artist) | Result |
| All Students | "Kalau Berpacaran" (Ana Raffali, Suhaimi Mior, & Altimet) | N/A |
| Azri | "Mahligai Syahdu" (Hattan) | Bottom 3 |
| Erul | "Antara Hujan dan Airmata" (Sudirman Arshad) | Bottom 3 |
| Fina | "Purnama Merindu" (Dato' Siti Nurhaliza) | Safe |
| Hazama | "Segalanya Kuterima" (Ilusi) | Safe |
| Lena | "Cinta Sempurna" (Yuna) | Safe |
| Nera | "Tak Ingin Sendiri" (Hetty Koes Endang) | Eliminated |
* Guest judge: AC Mizal
* Note: Following the introduction of the immunity system in the previous concert, it was announced that the immunity system would only be implemented in the upcoming concert. In addition, the public voting would contribute as much as 50% towards the selection of a particular student to be the recipient of the immunity system.

### Week 8

First Air Date: 28 May 2011
| Student | Song (original artist) | Result |
| All Students | "Bawaku Terbang" (The Fabulous Cats) "I Gotta Feeling" (The Black Eyed Peas) | N/A |
| Azri | "Luar Biasa" (Shahir) | Bottom 3 |
| Erul | "Bunga Angkasa" (Terra Rossa) | Bottom 3 |
| Fina | "Samudera" (Nora) | Immune |
| Hazama | "Sendiri" (May) | Safe |
| Lena | "Kisah Hati" (Alyah) | Saved |
* Guest judge: Sham Kamikaze
* Note: The choice of song for each student in this concert was determined by the audience. In addition, each student was given the opportunity to design the concept of their performance during the concert.

### Week 9

First Air Date: 4 June 2011
| Student | Song (original artist) | Result |
| All Students | "Kalau Cinta" (Alif Aziz & Joanna) "Never Say Never" (Justin Bieber) | N/A |
| Azri | "Here Without You" (3 Doors Down) | Bottom 2 |
| Erul | "Nadiku" (Sabhi Saddi) | Eliminated |
| Hazama | "Angin" (Dewa) | Safe |
| Lena | "Badarsila" (Dato' Siti Nurhaliza) | Safe |
* Guest judge: Dato' Siti Nurhaliza

### Week 10

First Air Date: 12 June 2011
| Student | Song (original artist) | Result |
| All Students | "Firework" (Katy Perry) | N/A |
| Azri | "Ku Tak Biasa" (Slank) "Niskala" (Azri) | Fourth |
| Fina | "Satu Harapan" (Jaclyn Victor) "Menangis Lagi" (Fina) | Third |
| Hazama | "Pukau" (Tomok) "Cinta Teragung" (Hazama) | Winner |
| Lena | "Dunia" (Bunkface) "Sisa Kisah Kita" (Lena) | Runner-up |
* Guest judge: Dato' Ramli M.S.

## Students

(ages stated are at time of contest)
| Student | Age | Hometown | Rank |
| Zulaikha "Laika" Zahari | 22 | Kuala Lumpur | 14th |
| Nuratiqah “Eka” Shariffudin | 21 | Kuala Lumpur | 13th |
| Roshammizah "Miza" Rosli | 27 | Kuala Lumpur | 12th |
| Nur Suhada “Aida” Jebat | 19 | Malacca | 11th |
| Mohamad Amirullah "Amir" Jahari | 19 | Kuching, Sarawak | 10th |
| Fahrur Raqib Abdul Majid | 21 | Melaka | 9th |
| Ahmad Aliff Afif Tirmizie | 25 | Pekan, Pahang | 8th |
| Nur Khaidir Muhid | 23 | Sandakan, Sabah | 7th |
| Queennera "Nera" Francine Francis Kitingon | 19 | Likas, Sabah | 6th |
| Khairul “Erul” Najmuddin Abu Samah | 20 | Kuala Lumpur | 5th |
| Mohamad Azri Abdullah | 24 | Klang, Selangor | 4th |
| Nur Syafinaz "Fina" Jebat | 18 | Malacca | 3rd |
| Lenaber "Lena" Hadir | 21 | Kota Kinabalu, Sabah | 2nd |
| Hazama Ahmad Azmi | 27 | Perak | 1st |

## Summaries
### Elimination chart

Voting Result in Rank Order :
| Order | Weekly Concert | Weekly Concert | Weekly Concert | Weekly Concert | Weekly Concert | Weekly Concert | Weekly Concert | Weekly Concert | Weekly Concert | Weekly Concert |
| Order | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| 1 | Nera | Lena | Lena | Hazama | Hazama | Hazama | Hazama | Hazama | Hazama | Hazama |
| 2 | Erul | Erul | Erul | Fina | Fina | Fina | Fina | Fina | Lena | Lena |
| 3 | Aida | Nera | Nera | Lena | Lena | Lena | Lena | Azri | Azri | Fina |
| 4 | Raqib | Raqib | Amir | Erul | Azri | Nera | Erul | Erul | Erul | Azri |
| 5 | Lena | Aida | Afif | Nera | Erul | Erul | Azri | Lena | | |
| 6 | Afif | Afif | Raqib | Afif | Nera | Azri | Nera | | | |
| 7 | Amir | Azri | Kay | Azri | Kay | Kay | | | | |
| 8 | Azri | Kay | Aida | Kay | Afif | | | | | |
| 9 | Miza | Amir | Azri | Raqib | | | | | | |
| 10 | Eka | Miza | Miza | | | | | | | |
| 11 | Kay | Eka | Fina | | | | | | | |
| 12 | Laika | | Hazama | | | | | | | |
    The student won the competition
    The student was the first runner-up
    The student was the second runner-up
    The student was the third runner-up
    The student was the original eliminee but was saved
    The student was eliminated
    The student was immune from elimination
    The students were expelled through Operasi Gugur or 'AFGUGUR'
    The students were entered into the competition, replacing students who were expelled through 'AFSERAP'
* In Week 2, it was announced that students who do not show any improvement will be expelled from the academy and consequently be replaced with new students.
* In Week 3, following the announcement of Operasi Gugur, Aida and Amir are expelled from the competition after being deemed as the two students with the least improvement. Consequently, they are replaced by two new students, Fina and Hazama.
* In Week 8, Fina became the recipient of the Immunity system. As a result, she automatically advances to the finale without having to perform in the ninth concert.
* In Week 8, there was no elimination. The accumulated votes were forwarded to the following week.

## Cast members
### Hosts

* Aznil Nawawi - Host of concert of Akademi Fantasia and Diari Akademi Fantasia

### Professional trainers

* Amy Search - Principal
* Ning Baizura - Vocal Style
* Shafizawati Sharif - Vocal Technical
* Aris Kadir - Choreographer
* Fatimah Abu Bakar - English Language Consultant & Counsellor
* Adlin Aman Ramli - Drama & Performance

### Judges

* Fauziah Ahmad Daud
* Hattan