Written by: Christine and Xue Lin

Edited by: Gan Pei Zoe

Pictures are credited to their respective owners.

THE SUN VOICE 4

The stars were shining bright on the 14th of October 2019, as the Sunway University Chinese Cultural Society, in conjunction with the Chinese Cultural Societies from other Universities hosted their fourth Sun Voice competition! Everyone stood in applause as a sign of honour to welcome the honourable guests at the event. A welcoming speech was given by Dr. Khor Shunzhi and two others by YB Tuan and Yang Bahagia Puan Sri Datin Seri where they all reminded us that this event was to give people a better understanding of Chinese culture and encouraged the Chinese people in the room to be proud of their heritage. 

The night officially begun with all the honourable guests piecing a human-sized puzzle together on stage and giving gifts to all the sponsors, who blessed the crowd with many goodies and vouchers to last the whole year! The theme of the night was ‘Stars’ and a film called lucidus was put together to introduce all the artists before the singing began.

The competition kicked off with 12 finalists from the preliminary round, 5 were eliminated after the first sing-off, leaving 7 participants remaining. After a final performance, 3 emerged as victorious.

The second runner-up, Yee Jia Hui, from Sunway University, delivered a soulful rendition of <Here We Are> accompanied by a fast-paced rap that sent the hearts of the audience racing. Although at first sight, he appeared to be meek and soft-spoken, he brought forth a dynamic and powerful performance which definitely left a lasting impression on everyone. It was extremely remarkable and striking how he was the only contestant who incorporated rap into his performance. The judges commented that at first they thought of him as “nerdy”, and did not expect him to be able to channel such strong energy in his rap. In fact, they added that with a few adjustments, he would be able to sound better and reach his fullest potential.

The first runner-up, Wong Xin Yao, from Monash University, performed the song <你敢我就敢>. Decked out in all black and strong eyeliner, she delivered this rock song with passion and sass. Her hand gestures and movements were synchronised with the loud drums, giving the performance another dimension to it. Without a doubt, her suave performance left the audience at the edge of their seats with her strong vocals hitting the high notes repeatedly. Something noteworthy would be how she incorporated a dolphin whistle into her performance, which truly showed how skillful she is as a singer. The judges gave nothing but positive comments, stating that she was an uncontestable contestant.

The winner of Sunvoice 4, Eu Pei Xuan from Segi University, performed the song titled, <寻人启事>. Initially deemed as an unlikely winner after being unexpectedly eliminated in the sing-off, the judges used their single chance to revive her to get her into the top 7. Incredulously, she made a comeback with her melancholic and heartfelt rendition of the song that touched the hearts of many. As she sang with her whole heart, the audience were completely captivated and had tears welled up in their eyes by the end of it. Her performance was met with deafening cheers and applause. The judges were deeply impressed and were absolutely in awe of how well she was able to convey the message of the song. It was truly a winning performance!

Sunvoice 4 was also graced by external performers who made it more lively and brought excitement to the crowd. Even when they came out towards the end of the competition, the audience were still bubbling with energy and eager to watch them perform. These external performers were up and coming artists – ARVAN, RYOTA, SHN and Nicole.

All in all, Sunvoice 4 was extremely successful and this could not have happened if not for the members of the Sunway University Chinese Cultural Society who spent weeks tirelessly planning and organizing the event. Their efforts definitely came through, seeing how the whole event went smoothly, without a hitch and the radiant smiles of those who were present. Besides that, it was simply inspiring and empowering to see the finalists from Sunvoice 4 giving their all and singing so passionately that night. Likewise, when given a chance to showcase and pursue our interests, we should boldly do so. It was certainly a treat for everyone who attended and we look forward to the next season of Sunvoice!