Akademi Fantasia (season 8)
The eighth season of Akademi Fantasia premiered on 13 March 2010 and continued until 22 May 2010 on the Astro Ria television channel. The show underwent a number of changes from the seventh season, including the return Adlin Aman Ramlie as judge while Aznil Nawawi joined the judging panel following the departures of Khatijah Ibrahim and Edry Hashim.
The professional trainers for this season were announced in a press conference for media which took place in Hilton Hotel, Kuala Lumpur on 8 February 2010. In the ceremony, Norman Abdul Halim was revealed to be the Principal for this season, while Sarimah Ibrahim and Jimmy Shanley were selected as the new hosts replacing AC Mizal.
The eight season saw a new change to the format of the show. Instead of eliminating a student at the end of each concert, the elimination process was conducted in a new 30-minute segment called Debaran Akademi Fantasia, which was conducted by Sarimah Ibrahim.
The final concert was broadcast live in high definition technology, an Akademi Fantasia first, which was accessible for Astro B.yond subscribers in Channel 124 through Astro.
On 22 May 2010, Ahmad Shahir Zawawi from Kampar, Perak was announced the winner of the eighth season of Akademi Fantasia, defeating Siti Adira Suhaimi. He made history for being the first student to win the title after being re-entered into the competition through AFMASUK following his elimination in Week 7.
As many as 3.75 million votes were cast the entire season.
Auditions
Auditions were held in the following cities:- National Stadium, Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur - 9 & 10 January
- The Zon, Johor Bahru, Johor - 16 & 17 January
- Redbox Gurney, Plaza Gurney, Penang - 16 & 17 January
- Promenade Hotel, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah - 22, 23 & 24 January
- Merdeka Palace Hotel, Kuching, Sarawak - 23 & 24 January
- National Stadium, Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur - 30 & 31 January
List of songs during auditions
- "Gagap" – Stacy
- "Jika Kau Ubah Fikiran" - Mila
- "Tak Mungkin Kerna Sayang" - Alyah
- "Dan Sebenarnya" - Yuna
- "Di Taman Teman" - Datuk Siti Nurhaliza
- "When You're Gone" - Avril Lavigne
- "Situasi" – Bunkface
- "Hujan" – Sudirman Arshad
- "Ada Untukmu" – Nubhan
- "Berdendang Dalam Tangisan" – Jamal Abdillah
- "Fikirlah" – Aizat
- "I'm Yours" - Jason Mraz
Concert summaries
Tirai Concert
Original Airdate: 13 March 2010Week 1
Original Airdate: 20 March 2010Week 2
Original Airdate: 27 March 2010Week 3
Original Airdate: 3 April 2010Week 4
Original Airdate: 10 April 2010Week 5
Original Airdate: 17 April 2010Week 6
Original Airdate: 24 April 2010Week 7
Original Airdate: 1 May 2010Week 8
Original Airdate: 8 May 2010Week 9
Original Airdate: 15 May 2010Week 10
Original Airdate: 22 May 2010Students
| Student | Age | Hometown | Rank |
| Muhammed Shahril Mohd Saleh Hussein | 26 | Klang, Selangor | 12th |
| Erma Suhaimi | 21 | Ranau, Sabah | 11th |
| Dayang Nor Anum Arjuna Aharun | 18 | Tawau, Sabah | 10th |
| Muhammad Alif Kadim | 18 | Kuala Lumpur | 9th |
| Nadia Emilia Roselan | 21 | Klang, Selangor | 8th |
| Zafarina Jamhari | 28 | Bintulu, Sarawak | 7th |
| Nadiawati Ainul Basir | 23 | Sandakan, Sabah | 6th |
| Emirza Azwan "Iwan" Zulazrin Chew | 20 | Seremban, Negeri Sembilan | 5th |
| Muhd Firdaus Maulana Mohamed | 22 | Johor Bahru, Johor | 4th |
| Muhd Shahril Firdaus Eli | 22 | Kuching, Sarawak | 3rd |
| Siti Adira Suhaimi | 19 | Ranau, Sabah | Runner-up |
| Ahmad Shahir Zawawi | 21 | Kampar, Perak | Winner |
Summaries
Elimination chart
- In week 5, there was no elimination. The accumulated votes were forwarded to the following week.
- In week 8, Shahir was re-entered into the competition after scoring the highest votes through AFMASUK.
Cast members
Hosts
- Jimmy Shanley - Host of concert of Akademi Fantasia and Diari Akademi Fantasia
- Sarimah Ibrahim - Host of concert of Akademi Fantasia and Debaran Akademi Fantasia
Professional trainers
- Norman Abdul Halim - Principal
- Shafizawati Sharif - Vocal Technical
- Siti Hajar Ismail - Vocal Presentation
- Linda Jasmine - Choreographer
- Fatimah Abu Bakar - English Language Consultant & Counsellor
- Que Haidar - Drama & Acting
Judges
- Adlin Aman Ramlie
- Aznil Nawawi
Season statistics
- Total number of students: 12
- Oldest student: Zafarina Jamhari, 28 years old
- Youngest students: Dayang Nor Anum Arjuna Aharun & Muhammad Alif Kadim, both 18 years old
- Tallest student: Muhd Firdaus Maulana Mohamed, 5'6.7"
- Shortest student: Siti Adira Suhaimi, 4'9"
- Heaviest student: Muhammed Shahril Mohd Saleh Hussein, 176 lbs
- Lightest student: Nadia Emilia Roselan, 94 lb
- Student with the most collective highest votes: Siti Adira Suhaimi, 5 times
- Student with the most consecutive highest votes: Siti Adira Suhaimi, 3 times
- Top 3's vote mean : Ahmad Shahir Zawawi – 3.5, Siti Adira Suhaimi - 2.22, Muhd Shahril Firdaus Eli - 4.0,
- Top 3's vote median : Ahmad Shahir Zawawi – 3, Siti Adira Suhaimi - 1, Muhd Shahril Firdaus Eli - 3
- Student with the most collective bottom two appearances: Zafarina Jamhari, 5 times
- Student with the most consecutive bottom two appearances: Zafarina Jamhari, 5 times
- Student with no bottom two appearances: Siti Adira Suhaimi