Musicians fill the night with melody at Pelangi Awards

THOUSANDS gathered last night at the Jerudong Park Amphitheatre for the Anugerah Pelangi or Pelangi Awards 2008/2009 showcasing some of Brunei's most talented artists competing for the coveted award.

The Pelangi Awards hosted by Radio Televisyen Brunei (RTB) is a highly anticipated event held once in every two years to honour and recognise the hard work and efforts Brunei's artists has put into the entertainment industry.

"We are very thrilled that this was very well received by the public. Innovation and creativity are key ingredients to any successful broadcast and RTB is always on the lookout for new ideas," said Pg Hj Mahari Pg Hj Abd Rajak, the acting Director of RTB.

"More importantly though, the success of this event marks the growing importance of public-private partnerships. I also hope that this will pave the way for more of these partnerships in times to come," said the acting director.

"Radio Brunei is committed to supporting our local talents whenever possible. Anugerah Pelangi is one of the many ways that we are showing our appreciation to them (local artists) for keeping us entertained and for their dedication," said Hjh Zalinar Hj Abdullah, Acting Head of Radio.

"Congratulations are in order to the winners and my advice for those aspiring to join the music scene is to work hard and be assured that Radio Brunei will provide our support," she said.

This year's event was themed "Fantasy", taking escapism from the "daily hustle and bustle of life". The five categories contested during the event consisted of Chosen Female Vocal in which Maria was awarded, whereas Chosen Male Vocal went to Fakhrul Razi. The Chosen Newcomer went to "A Band Once" and the Chosen Duo/Group category was taken by "The Seeds".

The nominees were shortlisted through a series of measures such as airplay, requests and public voting while the outcome of the evening was solely based on the judges score.

Deputy Minister at the Prime Minister's Office, Dato Seri Paduka Eusoff Agaki Hj Ismail attended the event as guest of honour to present the final award, Chosen Song, which went to the melody Tentang Kita composed by Adie and lyrics by Waem.

The Pelangi Awards kicked off with a dance number that showcased the theme and was followed by performances by all the five categories followed by announcement of the winners.

The B.Mobile's Most Voted Award was chosen based strictly on public votes. This award is a partnership between PelangiFM and B.Mobile and was taken by Maria, who was awarded by the Chief Executive Officer of B.Mobile, Song Kin Koi, who is also Managing Director of Telecom Brunei Sdn Bhd (TelBru).

The presentation of the awards to the winners for each category was delivered by the sponsors of the event, consisting of Managing Director of TelBru Song Kin Koi and Dato Jack Ting of Cityneon Displays and Construction, who presented the awards for the Chosen Female and Male Vocals respectively.

Meanwhile, Assistant Managing Director of Brunei Investment Agency and Board Member of Jerudong Park Country Club Hj Yakob Hj Yusof and Sheikh Jamaluddin Sheikh Mohammad, Director of Tourism, presented the Chosen Newcomer and Chosen Duo/Group awards respectively.

This year's Pelangi Awards marks the third time that RTB hosted such an event.

The Brunei Times