Mohd Syazrul Nizam Matusin, 33, of Beaufort, and Rafidah Asgali, 34, of Sandakan, respectively, were awarded the winners of the Bintang P. Ramlee Sabah Zone Level 2022 competition thanks to the songs “Hanya Dikau” and “Bila Larut Malam.”
The competition organised by the Sabah Malaysian Broadcasting Department through the Entertainment and Music Section was held at Centre Point Shopping Mall’s Palm Square, here, recently.
Syazrul and Rafidah will represent Sabah Zone at the National level, which will be held in Sarawak in October.
Syazrul received a cash award of RM3, 500 in addition to a trophy and certificate, while Rafidah, who won the Women’s Category, received a cash prize of RM2, 000 as well as a trophy and certificate. Ts. Cyril Simon (centre) poses with the winners of the Bintang P. Ramlee Sabah Zone Level 2022 competition.
The prize-giving ceremony was officiated by Chief Assistant Director (TV Engineering) Ts. Cyril Simon.
“I didn’t expect to win the Sabah Zone level competition because I was battling tonsillitis,” said Syazrul while expressing his joy.
“I will give my all at the National levels which will be held in Sarawak,” he promised.
Meanwhile, Rafidah, who felt happiness and despair in equal measure, was equally shocked to have won the contest this time.
She had previously competed in the same competition four times, therefore she was surprised to be representing Sabah at the national level.
“When I heard that I had won, I was ecstatic but also very surprised. However, I am equally saddened by the fact that my family depends on me to assist my husband in providing for our four young children. To succeed at the national level, I must thus put in more effort, she said.
Rafidah has other goals as well, like becoming a performer who is successful in bringing old songs by legendary artists like P. Ramlee and Saloma to a wider audience.
My real dream, she added, “is to sing old songs by the country’s iconic stars so that their songs will stay relevant and can be heard by the current generation.”
The competition, which is held once every two years, aims to find contestants with talent who can emulate the voice and singing style of the great P. Ramlee, particularly those in Sabah who are between the ages of 18 and 45.
One of the events that have produced champions from Sabah is the P. Ramlee Star Competition. These champions include Juraimi Ahmad and Salamah Osman (2004) and Fairuz Misran and Azeani Awang (2012).
Following participation in auditions held in a number of locales, including Kota Kinabalu, Keningau, Tawau, Sandakan, and Labuan, competitors are chosen to compete at the Sabah Zone level.
The three best male and female auditioners are chosen to move on to the Sabah Zone level, which is assessed by jury score at the audition site.
The winner of the 2022 Bintang P Ramlee Sabah Zone level finals will represent Sabah Zone in the national competition, which will take place at the Sarawak Stadium Perpaduan Kuching.
The participants who successfully entered the P. Ramlee Star Competition at the Sabah Zone level are Mohd. Soufe Hassan (Labuan), Mohd. Safry Maidin (Tawau) and Mohd. Syazrul Nizam Matusin (Beaufort), while the women’s category consists of Roziana Kamis (Labuan), Rafidah Asgali (Sandakan) and Maizatul Asfa Marzuki (Membakut).
Each participant sang a compulsory song by P. Ramlee, and for the second song, the participants dueted with a female participant who sang the song using clips from movies in which P. Ramlee had appeared.
Sabah RTM musicians provided musical accompaniment for the competition, which was judged by a qualified jury.
The winner of the Bintang P. Ramlee competition took home RM3,500 in cash, while the runners-up and third-place finishers took home RM2,000 and RM1,000, respectively. Trophies and certificates were also given to each participant.
The winner of the women’s category received RM2,000 in cash, followed by RM1,000 for second place and RM500 for third. The winners also receive trophies and participation certificates as supplemental prizes.
The competition with the theme “Sepanjang Zaman” was broadcast live on SABAHfm and featured performances by invited artists Sumarli Loli and Gaman.
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