Eight finalists vie for honours in songwriting contest

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EIGHT finalists will battle it out in the finals of the “AmBank Cipta Lagu Malaysia bersama RTM” competition for the grand prize of RM40,000 in December aired live on TV2.

The competition, which started in June this year, is organised by Koperasi Industri Muzik Malaysia (Kopstar) together with the music section of RTM with AmBank Group as the main sponsor.

RTM TV programme director Suhaimi Hamalim said the competition was held to add more creative content with more quality, not just for local listeners but also at the international level.

On stage: Semi-finalist Lufya Omar (centre) performing her song ‘Kawan Ku’.

“When we are at the international level, sometimes our quality is not up to par. We hope that what we produce does not only stimulate the local industry but also the international market,” he said during a press conference held in Auditorium P. Ramlee, Angkasapuri, after 20 semi-finalists were shortlisted.

He added that another eight would be chosen for the upcoming finale.

AmBank Group public affairs head Syed Anuar Syed Ali, who was also present at the press conference, said AmBank was proud to be a part of the competition.

All set: Syed Anuar (right) speaking to reporters during the press conference while RTM TV programme director Suhaimi Hamalim looks on.

“We are pleased to be a part of this competition as this is a sincere effort and initiative by RTM to improve the music industry in Malaysia,” he said.

The competition, which is also held in conjunction with the RTM Orchestra’s jubilee year this year, was open to all Malaysian songwriters regardless of age.

The competition drew more than 3,000 entries from both amateur and professional songwriters.

The entrants are also free to compose songs in Malay, Chinese, English and even indigenous languages such as Kadazan and Iban.

The judging was done based on the melody of the song and the shortlisted songs for the finals will be judged by professional judges and will be translated into Bahasa Malaysia without any alteration to the original melody.

Also present at the press conference were the semi-finalists of the competition with five of them performing their songs.