Melissa Francis overall winner of ‘Anugerah Carta Sapa Juara’

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Melissa with her winning trophy.

Melissa with her winning trophy.

Guest artistes perform.

Guest artistes perform.

DJ Rajesh and DJ Stephanie manage to enliven the show with their smooth hosting.

DJ Rajesh and DJ Stephanie manage to enliven the show with their smooth hosting.

Eisner Nala wows both judges and guests with her song ‘Penyayau Tebeleka Ketegal Pemula’.

Eisner Nala wows both judges and guests with her song ‘Penyayau Tebeleka Ketegal Pemula’.

Rickie Andrewson performs his song entitled ‘Atas Nama Pengerindu’.

Rickie Andrewson performs his song entitled ‘Atas Nama Pengerindu’.

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Pretty Nina receives applause for her ‘Bungai Serega Dunya’.

Pretty Nina receives applause for her ‘Bungai Serega Dunya’.

Sullivan, one of two bands making it to the grand final, gets the crowd all excited with their hit ‘Bakani’.

Sullivan, one of two bands making it to the grand final, gets the crowd all excited with their hit ‘Bakani’.

Melissa gets all soulful with her love ballad ‘Pengerindu Tua’.

Melissa gets all soulful with her love ballad ‘Pengerindu Tua’.

The finalists gather for a group photo with Jabu (front, eighth right) and Salmah (front, ninth right).

The finalists gather for a group photo with Jabu (front, eighth right) and Salmah (front, ninth right).

BETONG: The grand finale of ‘Anugerah Carta Sapa Juara’ (ACSJ) held last Saturday here saw the domination of women artistes in the Iban music industry.

However, Melissa Francis reigned supreme in the championship, beating 11 other finalists to claim the coveted overall winning title in view of the 5,000-strong crowd filling up Tan Sri Datuk Amar Stephen Kalong Ningkan Hall that night.

The songstress walked away with RM5,000, a trophy and a certificate.

“I am very happy and grateful for the win.

“The song ‘Pengerindu Tua’ is very meaningful to me because it tells the story of romance, which is close to my heart,” she said, adding she went through two weeks of intense training and preparations before the grand final.

Melissa said she would share her winnings with her family, friends and fans who had always been supporting her in the industry.

“I might bring them for a dinner. Apart from that, I will also use the money to produce my new album. The yet-to-be-entitled album will include six songs and is expected to be released by the end of this year,” she said.

The grand finale was hosted by DJ Rajesh and DJ Stephanie of Wai.FM.

There were also other subsidiary titles up for grabs that night. Florence Lo, with her captivating performance of ‘Ai Mata Lelengau’ won the ‘Best Vocal Award’, while Eisner Nala bagged the ‘Best Performance Award’ with her soulful rendition of ‘Penyayau Tebeleka Ketegal Pemula’.

Eisner and Florence took home RM2,000 and RM1,000, respectively, and trophies.

The ‘ACSJ 2015 Most Favourite Artist Award’ was clinched by Rickie Andrewson through votes conducted by ACSJ official magazine ‘Senawah’, while ‘ACSJ 2015 Most Sporting Artist’ honour was bestowed upon Kelabu Papau for his cooperation in the management of the competition – despite him not being a finalist.

Other solo artistes who competed in the grand finale were Julita James who sang ‘Pengerindu Pengujung Nyawa’, Frederick Sut (‘Pengabis Ati’), Timothy (‘Janji Nyadi Ampa’), Pretty Nina (‘Aku Kediri’) and Gabriel Fairuz Louis (‘Pengerindu Suba’), while the bands were Sullivan (Bakani) and Loudness Empire (Pengerindu Nadai Penyangkai). All finalists received trophies and certificates of appreciation.

Other activities at the grand finale included a dance show by Betong Cultural Group, and singing performances by guest artistes Lucy M (Best Vocal ACSJ 2014), Masterpiece (Best Performance ACSJ 2015) and The Crew (Overall Winner ACSJ 2014).

They were accompanied by music performed by Kombo RTM.

The ACSJ 2015 is an initiative of Sarawak Broadcasting Department and Wai.FM, Miri.FM and Sibu.FM, in collaboration with Betong Resident’s Office, to uplift the Iban music industry.

The Saturday showdown, themed ‘Ngelatika Industri Muzik Iban’, marked the second ACSJ following its debut here last year.

The finalists were those who topped Wai.FM’s ‘Carta Sapa Juara’, Miri.FM’s ‘Carta Lagu Tebilang Iban’, and Sibu.FM’s ‘Carta Hits Lagu-Lagu Iban’, as well as based on votes throughout last year.

The semi-finals were held at RTM Sarawak on Aug 22 to choose the final 12.

The Betong showcase was attended by Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Alfred Jabu; RTM broadcasting director for Sarawak, Salmah Ibrahim Melina; Betong Resident Datu Romie Sigan Daniel and his deputy Galong Luang, Hock Peang Realty managing director Datuk Toh Chiew Hock and RTM Sarawak deputy director Jamel Seman.