KOTA KINABALU: Mohd Shafizan Edmund and Petrova Catherina Justin were crowned champions of the Bintang Universe Sudirman competition at Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) on Saturday and will represent the university at the national grand final.
The competition required each finalist to perform two songs, beginning with one previously recorded by the late Datuk Sudirman Arshad, followed by a song of their own choice.
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Second-year Music student Shafizan, 23, said the competition was only the second singing contest he had entered after previously taking part in a poetry song competition.
He admitted he had little time to prepare because he was unfamiliar with Sudirman's repertoire, having been more accustomed to singing pop, modern, jazz and R&B songs.
"I learnt Sudirman's singing style and tried to perform it in my own way, but it was difficult to adapt, and after trying again and again, Alhamdulillah, I am grateful to have won," he said.
Shafizan performed
Hilang Berganti as his first song before showcasing his admiration for Michael Jackson by singing
The Way You Make Me Feel, complete with dance moves during the performance.
"I hope I can do even better at the grand final than I did today, and I hope I can become the champion," he said.
First-year Biotechnology student Petrova, 20, said she had previously competed in the district and State-level Sugandoi Kaamatan competitions.
She said she only decided on her song selection at the last minute because she had been occupied with examinations.
"I chose songs that I was familiar with, which were
Pelangi Petang by Sudirman and
Emas by Nadeera," she said.
Looking ahead to the national grand final, Petrova said she hoped to deliver an even stronger performance than she did at UMS.
"My target is to finish in the top three at the grand final," she said.
Other finalists were Belorine Simah@Jaimis, Muhd Safrie Japirin, Alvintino Victor, Mohd Ameerul Haqim Fadzley, Mohd Azwan Azman, Aamanda Pearl Peter, Dezelynn Sonny and Jelnisha Ivy Iboi.
Bintang Universe Sudirman was introduced to provide a platform for emerging vocal talents to showcase their potential, creativity and ability, while allowing finalists to perform before representatives from Universal Music Malaysia, EMI, Faithful, Def Jam Malaysia and LY Music Factory.
