Kota Kinabalu: Two primary school pupils from Sabah have been named among the "Global Top 100 Young Singers" and received the Special Gold Award at the "Tian Lai Xin Sheng 2026" Global Auditions held at Beijing Radio and Television Station (BRTV) in China, recently.
The young achievers are 11-year-old Rainie Wong Jing Ru of Shan Tao Primary School, Kota Kinabalu, and 10-year-old Chloe Chong Zi Han of Yuk Kong Chinese Primary School, Keningau.
Both pupils, trained under Voce Vocal Lab director Zev Leong and deputy director Susheena Yap, emerged top performers after advancing through rigorous auditions spanning 100 cities in China and 12 overseas countries.
Rainie also took part in the event's five-day vocal training camp and was selected to perform "My Motherland" alongside two Chinese singers for a television broadcast scheduled for mid-October.
Chloe, who was competing abroad for the first time after qualifying through the Malaysian audition rounds, secured her accolades following her performance of the song "Tian Liang Le".
Sandakan-born vocal educator JinV Wong served as the sole Malaysian expert judge at the global auditions, evaluating more than 700 contestants alongside prominent regional musicians.
JinV also led a regional coaching delegation to the Beijing camp, which included Sabah trainers Leong, Yap, and Nikko Yong.
