Better known as Daniel throughout the show, he beat over 9,000 candidates to compete in Malaysian Idol and was left with Norhanita Hamzah in the final two. In the final episode and the subsequent results show held at Genting Highlands' Arena of Stars on 23 and 24 September 2005 respectively, he obtained roughly 1.2 million out of 1.67 million votes cast through SMS and phone calls. The finale was broadcast live on TV3 and 8TV.
Post-Malaysian Idol 2
He has released his first single "Mimpi" on 19 October 2005 which sold 5000 copies in five days. His self-titled debut album was released on 22 November 2005 and sold more than 10,000 copies in its first three weeks. The album has 10 songs including Mimpi, Heaven Knows, and seven other songs in Mandarin, one of which he composed himself. Within six months of release, the album eventually achieved platinum status by breaking 25,000 copies. His second album, Unavoidable 躲不過, was released about 18 months later on 13 June 2007. As a tribute to his non-Chinese fans, a CD comprising five Bahasa Malaysia songs, of which two are from the previous two albums, was released on 17 June 2008 under the name Pasti. In August 2008, as to popular Chinese belief that a change of name can bring better luck and prospects, Daniel changed the middle character from 吉 to 桀 and also his English name to Danell. Under the new name, a video compilation album, titled Sharing 分享, comprising MVs of 13 past songs and 2 new songs was released on 27 September 2008, less than half a year after Pasti was released. The album comes in the form of a karaoke + MV DVD and a bonus CD of the 2 newer songs. He is under the management of Sony Music EntertainmentMalaysia Sdn. Bhd. In May 2011, he changed back his English name to Daniel. Seven months later, his third album and first bilingual album Sincerely Yours, Daniel was released on 28 December 2011, and it was his first album in four years since Unavoidable, the album features six original songs in Mandarin and English, and two English cover songs.
Malaysian Idol
Danell was the winner of the second season of Malaysian Idol, obtaining 1.2 million votes which led to his win. The music student from Universiti Sains Malaysia has displayed his talent in playing various musical instruments such as the violin, guitar and piano, but the truth is still debated today.
Malaysian Idol performances
Discography
Malaysian Idol 2 Compilation
Mimpi
Daniel 李吉漢
Daniel Celebration Edition 慶功收藏版, produced in conjunction with the achievement of platinum status of his debut self-titled album.
Unavoidable 躲不過
Pasti
Sharing 分享, under Danell's new name
Danell Live Concert 桀然不同拉闊音樂會
Sincerely Yours, Daniel
Before Malaysian Idol
Prior to participating in Malaysian Idol, he was a first-year music course student at the Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang. He was also a part-time singer in "unplugged" cafes prior to the competition. He worked part-time in a computer shop in Prangin Mall, Penang. As a music lover and a keen photographer, he is an avid user of the Apple Computer iLife suite of applications. He intends to continue with his university studies after a 1-year stint in the recording industry.
Pinkie's World
The official fan club for Danell Lee. The name "Pinkies" came about through the frequent wearing of a pink T-shirt by Danell throughout the contest. It was inferred that his favourite colour was thus pink, leading to the naming of the fan club as such.
Awards
The 2006 Yu Xie Jiang 娛協獎 awards ceremony was held on 11 November 2006 and was popularly known as 1111 awards. The venue of the grand occasion was held at Stadium Putra Bukit Jalil. Danell won 6 awards:
It was a very big deal for Danell Lee, being a newbie in the music industry, when just 14 months ago he won the Malaysian Idol season 2 on 24 September 2005. Other awards won by Danell during the ceremony are mainly attributed to his singing the song 我们仨, a Mandarin patiotric song. They are:
On 27 February 2009, Danell conducted his first ever live concert of his own On Danell Live Concert. Previously, he has also appeared in numerous multiple-artiste concerts and performances since his winning of Malaysian Idol 2. One of his major performances include the Summer 8 Live Concert 2006 at Danga Bay, Johor, and also Summer 8 Live Concert 2007 at Ipoh, Perak a mass concert gathering Chinese singers from Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan, organised by Malaysian private channel, 8TV. Danell also performed at the Sungei Wang 2007 Countdown, entertaining the Malaysian public with other local and international artistes from Hong Kong and Taiwan, attended by a crowd of more than 100,000. The concert was taunted as the biggest countdown concert in Malaysia for 2007.
Shows
Danell stood in for Gary Yap temporarily as the host for 8TV E-News when the latter was busy with preparations and rehearsals for hosting the Grand Finale of the maiden edition of the Malaysian version of Project Superstar, a Mandarin singing talent-search competition, in April 2006.
Dramas
Danell made a guest appearance in 8TV's own idol television drama, Sky 星空, as a character with his own name. The drama starred Gary Yap, maiden edition of Project Superstar's overall/male category champion, Johnson Wee Chun Yen aka John and female category runner-up, Mei Sim, and one of the judges of Project Superstar itself, Guan Qi Yuan. Daniel also recorded a song for the drama's OST album.
