Ezam Ernady emerges victorious in Mediacorp’s talent reality competition Suara Juara – The Star Voice 2023
Singapore, 15 October 2023 – After weeks of heated battles, Mediacorp’s talent reality competition Suara Juara – The Star Voice 2023 came to a thrilling finale with the crowning of Ezam Ernady as champion! Aired earlier this evening, the gripping Finals saw Ezam edge out fellow finalists Farihin Anwar and Raihan Yacob with his versatility and clever wit, and score a $10,000 cash prize and a Mediacorp contract to be a radio presenter with Malay radio station RIA 897.
Launched as an initiative to allow individuals to fulfil their passion in radio broadcasting and hosting, the competition underscores Mediacorp’s commitment to nurturing local talents and providing them with opportunities to showcase their skills through its network. Over the course of the competition, contestants were tested on their hosting and interviewing skills as well as content creation ability, before the Top 3 finally emerged to compete in the Finals.
Hosted by RIA 897’s dynamic duo Azura Goh and Fadli Kamsani, the Finals saw Ezam, Farihin and Raihan go head-to-head in two rounds of competition. In the first, the three showed off their artistic skills by putting up enthralling song and dance items. Creatively mashing up popular traditional tunes, Ezam delivered a lively stage act and captivated the live audience who burst into applause at the end of his performance. Resident judges and seasoned presenters Azlin Ali and Morniyati Tukimin, together with guest judge and veteran artiste Najip Ali, unanimously lauded Ezam’s undeniable stage presence and charming confidence.
In the second round, the finalists were tested on their spontaneity and ability to deliver an engaging interview segment - essential skills required of a radio presenter. With 60 percent of their scores at stake here, the three were tasked to conduct individual interviews with Najip and were assessed for their creativity, content, personality and phonetics. During this turn, Ezam sought Najip's thoughts on the potential of success between an aspiring artiste driven by financial rewards versus another who is fuelled by passion, and whether social media alone is sufficient in ensuring one's relevant in the industry today. Ezam's thought-provoking topic impressed the judges and secured his win, given his equally remarkable performance in the previous round.
Expressing surprise at the results, Ezam described his victory as “a dream come true”. He added: “I am beyond delighted to have made my supportive family proud with this win. Throughout this journey, the team of encouraging mentors has imparted valuable advice and knowledge which greatly helped me in improving my linguistic and presentation skills. I will continue to upgrade myself, and cannot wait to spread love, fun and laughter, and entertain RIA 897 listeners in the near future!”
Simone Lum, Head for Growth & Audio, Mediacorp said: "Firstly, we would like to commend all contestants for their impressive growth throughout the competition, as they matured under the mentorship of our RIA 897 and WARNA 942 presenters. Today, we witnessed exceptional performances from the Top 3 and we are extremely proud of them, especially Ezam - congratulations! We cannot wait to see what he has to offer and look forward to his future work!"
Other highlights of the evening included surprise performances by resident judge Azlin Ali, host Fadli Kamsani and WARNA 942 DJs Noreha Bajuri, Sue Kassim and TG who belted out the competition’s theme song SUARA JUARA, as well as homegrown rapper ALYPH who performed his viral track SWIPE.
Fans who wish to relive the best moments of Suara Juara – The Star Voice 2023 can catch the entire competition as well as digital-exclusive content on mewatch, Mediacorp Untukmu’s Instagram and Facebook as well as Mediacorp Entertainment on YouTube.
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Media contact
Nurul Atiqah
Communications Associate
Atiqah.MY@mediacorp.com.sg
About Mediacorp
Mediacorp is Singapore’s national media network and largest content creator. Its purpose is to create engaging and trusted content, as well as to connect communities and inspire people. Mediacorp engages over three million people in Singapore daily across four languages on its digital platforms including mewatch, melisten and CNA.asia, six TV channels and 11 radio stations. Beyond Singapore, Mediacorp also has a growing international audience through CNA and content distributed across markets.
With a focus on nurturing talent and growing the sector, the company is committed to investing in nation-wide initiatives like Star Search, Anugerah, Yaar Antha Star and SPOP, commissioning a wide variety of work from local content creators, and collaborating with institutes of higher learning. As Singapore’s first local Multi-Channel Network in partnership with YouTube, Mediacorp is also committed to developing a network of digital content creators.
For advertisers, Mediacorp has partnered industry-leading brands like ESPN, Mothership, theAsianparent, VICE, YouTube and 99.co to form the Mediacorp Digital Network in offering more effective content-driven solutions.
Mediacorp is the recipient of industry accolades including New York Festivals, World Media Festivals, PromaxBDA (World and Asia) and Asian Academy Creative Awards.
For more information, please visit mediacorp.sg
