Published: Sunday January 26, 2014 MYT 12:00:00 AM
Updated: Sunday January 26, 2014 MYT 6:47:51 AM
Updated: Sunday January 26, 2014 MYT 6:47:51 AM
International stardom beckons K-pop fan Putri
Golden Voice: Putri singing her heart out at the grand finals of the K-pop reality show K-Pop Star Hunt Season 3 in Singaopre.
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PETALING JAYA: Another Malaysian music talent looks set to break into the international arena.
Putri Norizah Ibnor Riza, 22, who hopes to make waves in South Korea, took one step closer to achieving her dream after she grabbed the second spot in the country’s reality show K-pop Star Hunt Season 3.
Singing There is No Love by Korean songstress Gummy and Homeless by Leona Lewis, Putri wowed the audience with her strong vocals in the grand finals in Singapore. However, she lost out to Taiwanese Andy Su, 15, who won with his rendition of G-Dragon’s hits.
Although disappointed at not winning the grand prize, which is a contract deal with Korean entertainment company CJ E&M, Putri is grateful for the experience.
“It has helped me grow as a performer. We were trained (for vocal and dance) by professionals. The comments from the judges were helpful. And, we also had the opportunity to meet some K-Pop stars!”
K-pop Star Hunt 3 is an annual talent show that pits contestants from across the region, including Hong Kong, Singapore, the Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand and Indonesia to win the chance to be groomed as a K-pop star.
Putri was chosen to represent Malaysia with Ryan Thoo, 23, after they won the auditions in Kuala Lumpur last year.
The two travelled to Seoul to train under record label FNC Entertainment, which manages K-pop stars CN Blue and FT Island.
After the training stint, they took part in a series of song-and-dance challenges, with weekly eliminations.
Putri was one of four top finalists who survived along with Su, Singaporean Stephanie Koh, 21, and Thai Siriburee Chananan, 18. The finale was aired on Malaysian TV last night.
For Putri, who started singing at the age of seven, the fact that she even made it to the grand finals was a surprise.
However, this was not the first time Putri had won the hearts of Korean fans. In 2012, Putri was the only non-Korean contestant in one of the biggest Korean talent shows — Superstar K.
Chosen from a YouTube video submission, she wowed the judges, which included K-pop superstars Lee Seung-chul, Baek Ji-young and Psy, who described her performances as “really beautiful”.
Putri said she felt like she was living a dream. “Korean viewers’ response to me was very surprising. I had only wanted to challenge myself but am glad that I made it through,” said Putri who got into the Top 20 of Superstar K4.
