HUNTING FOR NEW VOICES was the live music cover competition in conjunction with OneRepublic Live in Malaysia 2018 put together by organizer WGW Entertainment. The event was held on Saturday, April 7 at the Concourse of Berjaya Times Square saw fans of OneRepublic who are also aspiring singers to show what they've got to woo the crowd and most importantly the judges.
The contestants, including individuals and bands, were chosen after making through an entry form submitted online. All contestants must first competed in the preliminary round which be done earlier, and only 10 of them made it to the finals. Before the competition began, the emcee gave an introduction on the CONCERT and HUNTING FOR NEW VOICES, speeches by Mr. Hendrick Huang Managing Director of WGW Entertainment, followed by a Q & A session with Mr. Hendrick Huang and Mr. Kenny Ong, Managing Director of Universal Music Singapore and Malaysia.
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| Mr. Hendrick Huang, MD of WGW Entertainment (left) and Mr. Kenny Ong, MD of Universal Music Singapore and Malaysia (right) |
The 10 finalist hopefuls took the stage on one by one for the chance to win cash prizes as well as the coveted Rock Zone tickets for the upcoming OneRepublic Live in Malaysia 2018 concert. Some of the contestants made a mind-blowing impressions during their set when showcasing their best version of notable hits by OneRepublic.
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| 10 finalist |
Among the songs preferred by the finalists were “Apologize”, “Stop and Stare” (the songs that keep humming in our ears) and the more recent “Let’s Hurt Tonight”. Some of the finalists were also played their own instruments such as guitar and keyboard, embracing their talents as they were judged by 4 criteria, Voice Power, Rhythm and Tempo, Vocal Expression and Stage Presence.
After deliberation, the judges Mr. Hendrick Huang, Mr. Kenny Ong and Ms. Yi Jun (who’s had experience participating in the World Championship of Performing Arts held at Long Beach, California) picked Ullyseus, Affan and Pitt Sarmon as the top three winners.
Pitt Sarmon who sang “Stop and Stare”, walked away with the grand prize comprising of RM3000 cash and a pair of Rock Zone tickets worth RM578 each. Whilst Ullyseus who wooed the audience with his rendition of “Apologize”, and Affan who also played the keyboard during his performance of “Apologize”, won the second prize (with RM2000 cash) and third prize (with RM1000 cash) respectively. Both winners also getting a pair of Rock Zone tickets. The remaining 7 finalists did not walk away empty-handed as they were also been awarded with 2 pairs of CAT3 tickets each worth RM298.
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| Ullyseus |
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| Affan |
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| Pitt Sarmon |
Mr. Hendrick Huang also stated in his speech that the “Hunting for New Voices” winners might be seen as an opening acts for WGW Entertainment’s upcoming concerts later this year. This is a might be a great news to the enthusiastic OneRepublic fans out there as Mr. Kenny Ong mentioned during the earlier press conference that fans in the Rock Zone have a higher chance of being picked to go up onstage with OneRepublic (as the band tends to pick a lucky fan from the crowd to sing with them) during the concert.
So hurry go and grab your tickets now to avoid disappointment! Tickets for CAT4 are sold out but the rest are still available. There were also one-day exclusive promotion on April 7 at Berjaya Times Square KL from 11am to 6pm, where fans who already bought the concert tickets entitled to redeem a limited edition poster, while stocks last. Walk-in customers were also entitled to a 5% discount on concert tickets with any spending at Berjaya Times Square KL on that day.
Fans can get tickets online at TicketCharge or by calling 03-9222 8811. Walk-in purchases are available at Eden Ultimate Sdn Bhd, 1 Shamelin Shopping Mall, The Mines, The School by Jaya One, Blonde & Brunette Sdn Bhd, Quill City Mall KL, Eastern Records Sdn Bhd (Rock Corner HQ), Rock Corner The Gardens and selected Speedy outlets.
OneRepublic Live in Kuala Lumpur 2018 is organised by WGW Entertainment and supported by Malaysia Major Events (MME), a division of Malaysia Convention and Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB), a bureau under the Ministry of Tourism and Culture.
Be sure to follow WGW Entertainment on Facebook for all the latest updates on OneRepublic Live in Kuala Lumpur 2018, or visit OneRepublic website.