Organiser of Sabah Idol, Peter Dicky Lee (second right), is flanked by Haslinda (right), Nigel and Suriati.
BEAUFORT: Haslinda Haniff outsang 20 other finalists to take the crown of Beaufort Sabah Idol during the final last weekend which was held in conjunction with the annual Beaufort Bagandang Festival.
The 24-year-old’s powerful rendition of Celine Dion’s song, “It’s All Coming Back To Me”, mesmerized the crowd as well as the judges to take home the winner’s trophy, RM1,000 cash and a certificate.
First runner-up was 16-year-old Suriati Sapar who sang Azie’s “Kau Tetap Dalam Angganku”. She won RM500 cash, a trophy and a certificate.
In third place was 22-year-old Nigel Wong who made his third attempt at the title and walked away with RM300, a trophy and certificate.
The fourth place winner was Salmi Mapiasa who sang Ziana Zain’s “Anggapanmu”. This was her second try.
Taking the fifth spot was local favourite Abdul Nasar Hamdan @ Roy, 24, who wowed the packed crowd in his highly entertaining Sudirman’s number “Hoorey Hoorey”. He sounded so much like the original singer that he had the boisterous crowd as well as the judges cheering and clapping for him.
The Most Popular Award went to 15-year-old Khalid whose fans displayed banners and playcards to show their support for their little home hero. The Most Creative Award was won by Sudirman who sounded like Abdul Nasar while the Best Showmanship was won by Mohd Azmi and the Best Costume went to Shahidan with his glittering-winged attire.
All these subsidiary titles carry a cash prize of RM100, a trophy and a certificate.
The top five winners will represent Beaufort district during the Sabah Idol grand final to be held in Kota Kinabalu on December 30 at the Sabah Idol official venue, Suria Sabah.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman is expected to grace the occasion.
The next stop for the Sabah Idol series is Tambunan on December 1 and 2 at the Pisompuruan Square and the last stop is Tuaran on December 15 and 16 at the Dewan Seri Sulaman.