Aussie diplomat Adelle Neary stars in Indonesian talent show ‘Asing Star’


Meet Adelle Neary, the Australian diplomat who’s also an Indonesian singing sensation / Trans 7








KEVIN Rudd can’t do it – no matter how hard he tries – but Australian diplomat Adelle Neary has won over the hearts and minds of Indonesia by singing on a local reality show.


Her day job is Third Secretary at our embassy in Jakarta but her version of a popular Indonesian folk song has propelled Ms Neary to the grand final of Asing Star – or “Foreign Star” – a talent show for expatriates viewed by nine million locals.

“I didn’t expect this to happen,” the 29-year-old from Adelaide said. “If I’d realised it would get this much attention, I would probably have been too embarrassed.”

Watch Ms Neary singing above

While other Australians have gone on the program, none have come as far as Ms Neary who has been invited to tape a Valentine’s Day special before the final round.

Her success has not gone unnoticed in higher diplomatic circles with Foreign Minister Rudd posting a video on his YouTube account today featuring Ms Neary and AusAid colleague Jeremy Stringer.

In the clip (watch below) Mr Rudd praises them for appearances on the show while confessing he cannot actually sing nor speak a word of Indonesian.

“These guys seriously know how to sing,” he said. “We wish them all the best of luck. When they win I know they will attribute their success to the fact that they have been trained by the Australian foreign service and if they lose we’ll just disown them.”

For Ms Neary, a love-affair with Indonesia stemming from learning the language at 13 has meant she is planning to stay with local music.

After success with the romantic ballad Bengawan Solo she will probably eventually try a rock number by Pay, a group she describes as “the Indonesian Cold Chisel”.

She said she loves the excitement of her life in Jakarta despite “pollution and bad traffic” being “facts of life” and hopes her performance will help to break down local stereotypes of Australians.

“I’m happy for them to laugh at me,” she said. “It’s all part of having a go.”

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