POPULAR singer Shila Amzah, 33, is back on the reality show stage, having finished third in Gegar Vaganza 9 (GV9) last year.
Shila is the biggest name in the third season of TV3's Famili Duo, and Famili Duo 3 (FD3), which begins its eight-week run on Oct 15, marks her first collaboration with a less-known sibling.
Instead of her younger sister Syada Amzah, who participated in Big Stage, Shila's partner in FD3 is her younger brother Syahir Amzah, a corporate communications graduate.
FULL OF IDEAS
"Syahir can sing well, and as a budding entrepreneur, he is full of ideas, too," said Shila at the launch of FD3 in IOI City Mall, Sepang, Selangor, recently.
Shila initially invited Syada, 25, to be her FD3 partner, but her youngest sibling had other commitments.
"As Syada is busy, I've decided to bring Syahir on board, and why not, since he is also talented but lacks exposure?"
SHY MAN
Syahir, 28, thanked Shila for roping him into the contest and admitted that he was a shy man".
"I've helped Shila and Syada behind the scenes over the years, giving them ideas for their performances."
Another well-known sibling duo in FD3 are Adira Suhaimi, 32, and Emma Suhaimi, 34, from Ranau, Sabah.
The sisters were first introduced to the public at Akademi Fantasia 8 (AF8) in 2010, where Adira bagged the second prize.
"Emma is now a radio announcer in Kota Kinabalu, so she hasn't really left showbiz. Nevertheless, I persuaded her to join me in one more competition 13 years down the road."
LEAST EXPERIENCED
Social media influencers Ryan and Adam Bakery are the third and "least experienced" sibling team in FD3.
Ryan, 28, said even though they were not recording artistes, they could sing and entertain family at special events.
"We may not be artistes, but we love to take on new challenges."
Adam, 26, said: While we are the least known team, we have lots of surprises up our sleeves!"
Husband-and-wife team of Fuad Rahman, 43, and Tom Raja Farah, 37, vow to do their best and give their baby a great birthday gift by winning.
Singapore-born Fuad said: "Even though Tom is five months' pregnant, she is as sporting as ever. In fact, we are equally sporting."
Tom said even though she was taking things easy, joining a competition lifted her spirits.
"I won't be able to move around too much, but I've got lots of ideas."
SELANGOR TEAM
Cousins Haqiem Rusli and Ariff Bahran, both 25, are proud to be Selangor's sole representatives for the season.
"We are Hulu Langat boys who think alike as we are into pop music," said Haqiem.
Ariff said: "We did sing together in the 2000s on TV3, so after 20 years, it is time to return with a blast!"
PUTTING ON A GOOD SHOW
FD3 is co-hosted by actress Janna Nick and singer-actor Izzue Islam Mazlan, with Ajai and Mas Idayu returning as judges.
FD3's executive producer is Muhamad Sufian Che Isa with Noradillah Abdullah as producer.
Sufian said: "The sixth duo will only be introduced during the first concert, even though we've picked them much earlier.
"We salute the sporting ways of first-timers in music, Ryan, Adam and Syahir. They still can win because it is all about choosing the right song and giving a memorable performance."
Ajai said the important thing about the contest was to "give a good show".
"Having a good voice is not good enough, it is about teamwork and how well each team member complements the other."
Mas Idayu said planning a good performance every week was the key to winning.
"Each of them must take the contest seriously. The weekly winning duo will receive RM10,000, and the winning duo in the finals will get RM100,000."
The winners are determined by the judges (70 per cent of marks) and online voters of tonton (30 per cent).
FD3 will be broadcast live from Studio 1 in Glenmarie, Shah Alam, at 9pm every Sunday and live-streamed on tonton at www.tonton.com.my. dchua@nst.com.my