Taufik is the Comeback King
When he won the inaugural Singapore Idol contest, few believed his popularity would last.
It has been 10 years since that win but Taufik Batisah's sweep of the awards at last Friday night's Anugerah Planet Muzik (APM) proves he still has a big following.
Taufik, 33, received three honours in fan voting-based categories: Most Popular Singapore Artist, Most Popular Singapore Song for Ikrar Kasih and Social Media Icon at this year's APM held at Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre.
He was also nominated for Most Popular APM Artist, but lost to Indonesia's Noah, formerly known as Peterpan.
Other big winners included Siti Nurhaliza, Indonesian singer Cakra Khan and Indonesian group Noah, who took home two trophies each.
Into its 13th year, APM honours the best regional talents in the Malay music industry.
Friday's wins marked a strong comeback for Taufik after failing to bag a single trophy last year and was a repeat of his clean sweep of three awards in 2012.
It could not have come at a better time - he has just released his fifth album Fique, comprising 12 self-penned original songs.
"I hope this will give attention to my album - an album that I'm very proud of - and that fans and new fans will purchase it.
"These awards give me more motivation to keep doing what I'm doing," Taufik said backstage after winning his award. He thanked his record label and management company Hype Records, his parents, as well as his fans. He also hopes that the awards will serve as a stepping stone for a regional breakthrough, especially for his catchy new single #awakkatmane. It soared in popularity here after he had posted a video on Instagram accompanied by a hashtag asking his fans where they were. The video went viral, sparking parodies from his fans.
It has since become a catchphrase between him and his fans.
"My hope is that it will be a regional phenomenon and that it will go viral in the region. If it happens, I will be very thankful," said Taufik, who had kicked off the night with a performance of the song.
His performance drove his screaming Fiknatics into a frenzy as they, too, chanted "awak kat mane" (Malay for "where are you?").
Taufik later charmed his fans when he sang Menakluk Cinta, as well as a duet of Salahkan with Indonesian singer Rossa.
His fans were just as loud as fans of Malaysian pop diva and crowd favourite Siti .
Siti, who is busy promoting her latest pop album Fragmen, praised the line-up of new talents.
The 35-year-old, who won Best Song (Malaysia) for Lebih Indah and Best Female Artist, was especially proud of Singaporean singer Aisyah Azizwhom she had worked with on Malaysian singing competition Akademi Fantasia last year.
"Aisyah is a fast learner and is able to sing anything thrown at her and give it her own original spin. That's her strength. I believe she can go even further given the proper support and exposure," said Siti.
TROUBLE
Similarly, Noah's wins in the Best Band and APM Most Popular Artist categories also mark a new beginning for the popular five-piece alternative pop outfit, previously known as Peterpan.
It has been two years since the band's lead vocalist Ariel was released from prison after several sex videos involving him made rounds online.
He was reportedly the first Indonesian celebrity charged under Indonesia's strict anti-pornography law.
His band has since been renamed and are due to release their four-CD, 42-song album called Second Chance in the coming months.
Ariel, whose real name is Nazril Irham, 33, calls the album "Peterpan Advanced".
The band brought in English Grammy-winning producer Steve Lillywhite, who has worked with the likes of U2, Morrissey, 30 Seconds To Mars, The Rolling Stones and local quartet The Sam Willows, to work on Second Chance. Like Ariel, veteran Malaysian rocker Awie put aside his personal troubles to put up an electrifying performance with his band Wings. The group were honoured with the Planet Muzik Special Award. Earlier this year, Awie was accused of allegedly hurting his estranged wife Rozana Misbun.
APM AWARD WINNERS
BEST NEW MALE ARTIST
Tulus - Jangan Cintai Aku Apa Adanya
BEST NEW FEMALE ARTIST
Fynn Jamal - Arjuna Beta
BEST COLLABORATION (ARTIST)
Altimet and Awi Rafael - Kalau Aku Kaya
BEST COLLABORATION (SONG)
Mimpi - Aisyah Aziz
BEST MALE ARTIST
Judika - Mama Papa Larang
BEST FEMALE ARTIST
Siti Nurhaliza - Lebih Indah
BEST DUO/GROUP
Rossa and Hafiz - Salahkah
BEST BAND
Noah - Tak Lagi Sama
BEST SONG (SINGAPORE)
Tiada Pengganti - Sufie Rashid
BEST SONG (MALAYSIA)
Lebih Indah - Siti Nurhaliza
BEST SONG (INDONESIA)
Setelah Kau Tiada - Cakra Khan
BEST APM SONG
Setelah Kau Tiada - Cakra Khan
MOST POPULAR SINGAPORE ARTIST
Taufik Batisah
MOST POPULAR SINGAPORE SONG
Ikrar Kasih - Taufik Batisah
MOST POPULAR APM ARTIST
Noah
MOST POPULAR APM SONG
Dia Dia Dia - Fatin Shidqia Lubis
SOCIAL MEDIA ICON
Taufik Batisah
PLANET MUZIK SPECIAL AWARD
Wings
SOCIAL MEDIA NOVA
Khareez Kasbulah
Barefoot winning form
FIRST-TIMERS: Aisyah Aziz (top) bagged her first Anugerah Planet Muzik (APM) trophy in the Best Collaboration (Song) category while Sufie Rashid (above) bagged his first APM trophy in the Best Song (Singapore) category.
New artists Aisyah Aziz and Sufie Rashidbagged their first APM awards on Friday.
While Aisyah won in the Best Collaboration (Song) category for her song Mimpi, Sufie bagged the Best Song (Singapore) honour for his hit Tiada Pengganti.
Aisyah, 20, was so sure she stood no chance against fellow nominees like Siti Nurhaliza and Singapore singer Awi Rafael that she did not bother putting her heels on backstage to prepare herself in case she won.
When she did, the fresh-faced beauty ran out in her floor-length dress to receive her award - barefoot and in tears.
Singapore-born Aisyah, who is making a name for herself in Malaysia, was grateful for her family's support throughout her singing career, including that of her brother and fellow singer Aliff Aziz.
Aliff, who was recently fined $2,000 for stealing two mobile phones, cheered Aisyah on at home.
As for Sufie, he is known as a contestant in reality singing competitions like The Final 1 and Singapore Idol 3. Most recently, he was the runner-up in Suria reality singing contest SGMania.
"I've always believed in not giving up and grabbing opportunities when it comes. Hopefully, I'll be nominated again next year," said Sufie, 23, who was first nominated last year in the Social Media Nova category.
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