The Bintang Search 2023 grand finale premiered on OOPs! YouTube channel on Sunday night, where Jaii, a security guard was named the champion of the reality singing talent search show.
The show began 11 weeks ago and saw hundreds of contestants.
It culminated in a final featuring five individuals vying for the top spot, with the winner bringing home a trophy presented by Bintang Search creator Siti Kamaluddin, a BND5,000 cash prize presented by Vice President of Human Capital and member of imagine’s Executive Committee Omardani bin Haji Yussof, and a six months membership at Fitness Zone.
After deliberation between the judges and thousands of votes being counted, a new star was born with Jaii taking the top spot of Bintang Search Season 4.
The four finalists also bagged BND1,000, a trophy and a three months membership at Fitness Zone each, while the remaining top 15 Bintang Search contestants received one month free Fitness Zone membership each.
The champion was selected as a result of 50 per cent voting and 50 per cent judges’ marks. During auditions, Jaii accompanied a friend but surprised judges Dayat Ahim, Nana Farhana and Mat Fadhil with his rendition of Rindu Bayangan.
Jaii continued to wow the judges with his performances throughout the weekly challenges on Bintang Search challenges.
He quickly became a favourite on the live chat during each premiere, gaining the nickname ‘Boss’. However, his journey came to an abrupt end when he did not receive enough votes from the public and was eliminated after the Top 12 Concert.
During Call Back Week, his rendition of Kekasih Bayangan by Cakra Khan convinced judge Nana Farhana to give him another shot.
“I chose Jaii because he never failed to deliver a great performance. No matter the weekly challenge, he performed.
“He has great potential and he really showed versatility when he went out of his comfort zone and performed a ballad during the call back concert.”
Though surprised with the call back results, Jaii wasted no time and continued to challenge himself by performing songs outside his comfort zone – most notably his rendition of Can’t Help Falling In Love in the semi-finals. “I learnt from Marietta how to differentiate between competition and non-competition songs as well as my vocal range,” Jaii recalled.
“That’s when it all changed.”
In the finals, his delivery of Dia by Anji stole the heart of the judges and the thousands of Bintang Search viewers on OOPs!
Jaii said, “Alhamdulillah, with the support of my parents, my family, Bintang Search creator Siti Kamaluddin, the production crew, the judges and Marietta, I am able to fulfil the dreams of my parents to watch me thrive as a singer.
“I hope that this will allow me to expand my career in the music industry.”
Showrunner Siti Kamaluddin also thanked those involved in the production and the viewers after four years.
“This marks the end of an incredible journey for those involved in Bintang Search and a new milestone is reached where we doubled our yearly viewership,” she said.
Over the past 11 weeks, Bintang Search gathered over two million views collectively across all platforms.
She added, “I’m very proud of Brunei and believe Bintang Search elevates those with passion, work ethic and talent to an international level.”
