Malaysia to host i-SiNG World 2022 singing competition

It will be the first for Malaysia this May when it hosts the finals of the international singing competition known as i-SiNG World.

The finals for i-SiNG World 2022 will take place at the Royale Chulan Damansara Hotel in Petaling Jaya from May 23 to 28, 2023, with participation from 25 to 30 countries.

SiNG Malaysia president Michael Samy revealed the venue for its 2022 world finals, along with two local celebrity judges: Datuk Mokhzani Ismail and Dato’ Wan Aishah Wan Ariffin, at a press conference at Atria Shopping Gallery, Petaling Jaya, on Feb 23, 2023.

He said: “A special thanks to i-SiNG World co-founder and president Euro Tee and his team from the i-SiNG World Asia Pacific Innovation Centre for organizing this competition yearly with huge success. I would also like to thank Euro for allowing Kuala Lumpur to host the world finals in 2023.”

Samy said this year, the Malaysian team had travelled to different locations to conduct auditions for the best vocal talents, including in Johore Bahru, Kota Kinabalu and Kuala Lumpur.

“I believe all of our Malaysian youths are born to be stars, but they need a platform to showcase their talents. I-Sing is a very good opportunity to showcase themselves and eventually become stars,” he added.

The event was also attended by i-SiNG World co-founder and president Yuro James Tee, i-SiNG Malaysia advisor Romli Bidin, i-SiNG India producer and i-SiNG World board member Savio D’Sa, i-SiNG World Hong Kong producer and board member Sammy Wong and i-SiNG World business development manager James T, as well as celebrity guests, musicians and industry professionals.

The i-SiNG World 2022 Finals will consist of three international judges and two celebrity judges from Malaysia serving as hosts. They will select the winners based on three main criteria – the voice, the performance and the attire that matches the performance.

Only four categories will compete at i-SiNG World – solo, duet, group and junior.

The winners of i-SiNG World 2022 will receive a cash prize and an all-expense paid flight from attending the next world finals in Dubai in 2024.

Datuk Mokhzani is a music director in Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM). He is also a music composer and conductor and was the chief judge at Anugerah Industri Muzik 23 (AIM23).

The highly accredited Mokhzani is a Berklee College of Music Boston graduate and the Associated Board of The Royal School of Music, London. He is also a Sultan Idris Education University professor and lectures at UPSI, Aswara, UiTM and various other Asean countries. He has been a chief judge at Anugerah Juara Lagu (AJL), the nation’s biggest songwriting competition.

Dato’ Wan Aishah first achieved international stardom in New Zealand when her first album, Sensation, with her band Aishah and The Fan Club, charted globally. She returned to Malaysia to continue as a solo artist, releasing 11 albums. She has won two Anugerah Industri Muzik (AIM) awards for Best Vocals Performance in an Album and Best Pop Album and four Anugerah Juara Lagu (AJL) awards, including Best Performance and Best Song.

i-SiNG Malaysia 2022 finals will be held at Atria Shopping Gallery on March 17, 2023.

The winner of i-SiNG Malaysia stands a chance to win a single recording with renowned Malaysian music director Balan Raj and the opportunity to represent Malaysia at the i-SiNG World finals in May 2023.

Malaysia has been involved with i-SiNG World since its inauguration in 2017 and has had international success.

Nabillah Muhammad was the first delegate representing Malaysia at the inaugural finals in Yangon, Myanmar, in 2017. She made the nation proud by winning seventh place out of 24 participating countries.

In 2018, underdog Muhamad Syafeek Ikhwan Ghazali surprised everyone at the Paris finals by taking the main champion’s prize, bringing glory and honour to the country.

Mohamad Husaini Mahmur and Nadia Naswan Hasnan also did well for Malaysia in Stockholm in 2019 after bagging the first and second runners-up titles, respectively.

Formed in 2017, the relatively new i-SiNG World has proliferated to become one of the biggest singing competitions today that offers the best platform for aspiring singers to showcase their talent while providing valuable experiences and opportunities for all its delegates to shine away from their homes while enjoying the hospitality and beauty of a foreign country. 

The inaugural competition was held in Yangon, Myanmar, in 2017, with participants from 24 countries, which almost doubled to 40 the following year in Paris, France. In 2019, Stockholm, Sweden, hosted the world final from 47 countries.

Malaysia will host the 4th edition i-SiNG World Finals 2022 this year after a two-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic.