The Star Malaysia

Two M’sian acts to go ga-ga on AGT finals

‘Nama’, ‘Human Calculator’ in final stage of Season Three

- By KENNETH CHAW entertainm­ent@thestar.com.my

One’s got it all ‘figured’ out in his head on how to sweep the judges off their feet – and he’s only 15. The other is a singing quartet. The pretty women are ready to make the crowd go ‘ga-ga’ on the popular Asia’s Got Talent with their heart-thumping performanc­e. Let’s applaud them.

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia’s got talent! Homegrown female vocal group “Nama” and “Human Calculator” Yaashwin Sarawanan have made it to the finals of Asia’s Got Talent (AGT) Season Three.

“We didn’t expect it but we aimed for it,” said Nama group member Nur Fazrina Mohd Ani, 28, about reaching the finals.

Last night’s episode of the talent competitio­n saw Nama being chosen as the Judges’ Pick – a unanimous decision made by the show’s three judges, David Foster, Anggun and Jay Park, to send a contestant straight to the finals.

Nama – comprising Nur Fazrina; Noor Syamimi Makhetar, 24; Norfazira Malik, 24; and Nur Farahida Dolhadi, 24 – first met through an arts festival at Universiti Malaya and formed the group in 2017.

“Our biggest challenge going into the finals is that we are not only competing with singers but we are also competing with other acts that are unique and appealing,” Syamimi said.

Nama has been working hard for their upcoming performanc­e, rehearsing four to five times each week, for two to three hours each session.

“What we can promise is the performanc­e will be meaningful and different from what we have done during the earlier rounds in terms of song choice, what we are going to wear and our vibes,” Fazrina teased.

Should the girls win, they hope to use the US$100,000 (RM407,500) grand prize to further the group’s music career.

“We will use it to produce our singles, and when the time is right, our own album,” Fazrina said, adding that they hoped to celebrate by going on a holiday together.

Meanwhile, 15-year-old Yaashwin, whose speedy calculatio­ns earned him the nickname “Human Calculator”, won the hearts of the public, garnering enough votes to send him to the finals.

“I was super-shocked and speechless when I got to know that I would be performing at the grand final,” the SMK Bandar Tun Hussein Onn (2) student said.

“This is a golden opportunit­y. I want to thank all my supporters, especially my fellow Malaysians who have been voting for me. want to make my country proud.”

With Nama and Yaashwin taking two out of nine spots in the finals, this season marks Malaysia’s strongest showing at the AGT finals yet.

In Season Two, Sobhi Shaker – a Syrian magician who came to Malaysia to escape the Syrian civil war – was the first contestant competing under the Malaysian banner to make it to the finals.

You can vote for Malaysian contestant­s Nama and Yaashwin by visiting www.AXN-Asia.com/AGTVote.

Watch the final performanc­e show on April 4 and the final results show on April 11 on AXN (Astro Ch 701).

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 ??  ?? Good equations: The band ‘Nama’ (left) performing a number and Yaashwin winning the audience over with his math skills.
Good equations: The band ‘Nama’ (left) performing a number and Yaashwin winning the audience over with his math skills.

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