echo 
Listening to a moment of time lost,
Answer questions with ambiguous language.
When words fail music speaks,
Light yourself on fire with passion.
On the 1st of February, with their passion for good music, Sunway University Chinese Cultural Society (SUCCS) organized their 5th SunVoice with the theme Apricus (a Latin word meaning having lots of sunshine). Although students couldn’t listen to the voice of Sunway due to the pandemic, the pandemic didn’t affect the committee’s motivation to organize SunVoice 5. This burning passion of theirs was in line with the competition’s theme. So, the emcees hoped that as they worked hard in achieving their dreams of making this event successful, it would encourage the viewers to continue working hard in chasing their own dreams. The emcees also thanked their friends and viewers for their continuous support which kept them going and improved themselves to who they are today. As a form of gratitude, SUCCS had prepared some exciting performances and had some big and prestigious VIPs to share with the viewers how they have come this far in their life.
Before the event started, Mr Augustine, the advisor and a strong supporter of SUCCS, was invited to give a welcoming speech.
Mr Augustine started off his speech by saying how proud he was of SUCCS for their burning devotion and continuous drive to make SunVoice 5 a success despite being in the midst of a pandemic. He hoped that students would be able to use SunVoice as a platform to express their creativity and talents.
Next, it was time for the guest of honour, the chief executive officer of Sunway Education Group, Dr Elizabeth Lee to give her opening speech. On behalf of Yang Berbahagia Puan Sri Susan Cheah, the lifetime advisor of SUCCS, Dr Lee thanked Tan Yoke Cheng, Ling Yoke Qi, the chairperson and vice-chairperson respectively for their initiative in organizing this year’s SunVoice 5. She also praised SUCCS for their adaptability in carrying out SunVoice virtually as it was fitting for them to help students stay rooted in their Chinese culture through song. She even wished the participants to “break their leg” (not literally, it’s an expression of wishing someone good luck) and to enjoy unleashing their creativity and the experience.
Next, Tan Yoke Cheng, the organizing chairperson of The SunVoice 5, gave the audience a warm speech. She expressed great gratitude towards Sunway University, SUCCS advisor, organizational partners, committee members and the online viewers for their support that made all of this possible. Although no one can deny the struggles of the pandemic, it did not stop SUCCS from achieving their dreams of providing passionate and creative singers a stage to perform and express themselves freely. Hence this dream of SUCCS gave birth to the theme “Apricus” or 熠∙光 (yì guāng).
熠∙光 is short for 熠燃之心，音亦有光 (yì rán zhī xīn yīn yì yǒu guāng) which means a heart that shines, music shines as well. The theme came about as they wanted to incorporate the spirit of perseverance seen in the Chinese musicians of the 70s to 80s. (The word 熠 is a wordplay of 毅 from 毅力 (yì lì) -perseverance) In those days, it was tough for them to chase after their musical dreams. However, this did not stop the precursors of Chinese music in continuing their legacies of spreading Chinese music cultures. The precursors were just like the Sun that burned up themselves to light up the dark music circle as bright as possible. They had been under intense pressure and doubt, but they persisted in their dreams to popularize Chinese music. Now, everyone is able to enjoy such a grand stage for music. Hence SUCCS’s goal is to show everyone the beauty of Chinese music and to encourage singers to continue their passion in music. They also hope for everyone to appreciate musicians’ efforts put into song making because clearly everyone owes it to them for good music.
SunVoice 5 will be held with 4 stages. The first stage/audition is called 海选
(hǎixuǎn) whereby there will be 32 rounds of elimination, semi-finals and finale round. Participants just need to record a video that is not more than 120 seconds to participate in the audition. For more information, do visit their Facebook and Instagram pages!
Besides that, there’s a new sub-competition to the SunVoice 5, 熠∙光原创音乐比赛 (yì guāng yuán chuàng yīn yuè bǐ sài) which is the Apricus Music Composing Competition (25/1 – 25/3). This sub-competition is a collaboration between SUCCS and KO Idol, with them as their official music partner in order to recruit individuals who excel in singing and composing and further develop them into an idol through their songwriter training program.
Moving on, there were various guests invited to express their wishes to the participants of the competitions. First of all, the representative of KO Idol and ambassador of SunVoice 5, Ryota hoped that the contestants are able to display their full potential and he’s looking forward to meeting them.
Furthermore, the official media partner, DJ 颜薇恩 (yán wēi ēn) and DJ Emily shared their pathway to achieving their dream job which is becoming a DJ and how important a dream is for one to have a purpose in life.
The much-anticipated session finally arrived, a performance by Eu Pei Xuan, the successor of SunVoice 4 where she sang 爱自己更深 (ài zì jǐ gèng shēn) by DIOR 大颖 (dà yǐng). Besides that spectacular performance, Eu and Derrick (1st runner up of SV3) had a Q&A session where they were able to share their valuable experience in hopes to assist what the future contestants will be going through.
Q: What did you gain throughout your journey of SunVoice?
EPX: It has been very important to my personal growth as I was able to get out of my comfort zone and tried out different styles and rhythms of songs as well as meeting people with similar interests from different institutes.
D: For me, my biggest reward would be able to connect with many acquaintances and mentors which indirectly improved my ability in singing and understanding of music.
Q: What was the impact for you after accomplishing such an achievement?
D: It was a form of recognition for me. However, the most important lesson that I’ve learnt throughout the months of dedication and hard work is that this is just the beginning and it doesn’t stop as one should always be constantly improving by exceeding one’s past-self and be the best version one can be.
Q: What are the suggestions that you would like to provide to future contestants?
EPX: I know the participants will be extremely nervous during the competition and I know it is inevitable. Therefore, just go with the flow and be yourself. Besides, when deciding on which song to perform, choose one that you’d feel relatable to what you’re expressing through your performance and I’m sure that the judges and audiences will definitely fathom and understand your message behind it. All the best!
D: As I said, there’s no ending to this journey of pursuing music. That’s why it’s important to be mentally prepared so that you can enjoy and learn from the experience when facing the competition. In addition, this will reduce the pressure you have on yourself and you’ll be able to express yourself more freely.
Last but not least, the host and hostess from SUCCS alongside honourable guests and other committees compiled a clip to wish for a successful event for SunVoice 5 <APRICUS>. With that being said, Sunway Echo Media would like to take this opportunity to wish SUCCS a great event for SunVoice 5 <APIRCUS> in this year ahead. For more information, do visit their Facebook and Instagram pages!
熠燃之心，音亦有光
第五届双威好声音《熠∙光》
正式启航！
赶快报名参加吧！
Honourable guests and committees:
Row1: Eu Pei Xuan (Champion of SV4), Ms Shazrina (Executive Student Leadership & Engagement), Ms Ng Bean Lean (Director of Group Registrar of Sunway Education Group), Derrick (1st runner up of SV3)
Row2: YBHG Pn. Sri Datin Seri Dr Susan Cheah (Honorary Life President of SUCCS), Mr Daniel (MYFM DJ), Mr Jack Yap (MYFM DJ)
Row3: Mr Teh Kean Sing (Head of Student Leadership, Engagement & Sport), Dr Goh Yi Sheng (Advisor of SUCCS), Ms Amanda Chong (Senior Executive of Student Leadership & Engagement)
Written by: Alex, Wu Wen Qi
Edited by: Pei Zoe
