SDS International Student Wins 1st Runner Up Representing Sunway College at PALMA2022

Congratulations to SDS student Shannon for her amazing performance and winning the hearts of judges at PALMA2022 where foreign students render songs in Bahasa Melayu.

Shannon Nalam Adrianna Kamilus, from Papua New Guinea, represented Sunway College at the recent PALMA2022 auditions to which out of 50 participants were shortlisted to the top 10 and won 1st runner-up. Organised by the Ministry of Culture, Arts and Tourism and in collaboration with Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, foreign students sing Malay songs from Malaysian artiste. The shortlisted candidates from nine universities went through an intensive vocal workshop and were coached by professionals in the entertainment industry. Contestants were from China, Zimbabwe, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Korea and Somalia.

Shannon, who is in her final semester of Diploma in Business and is also the Sunway Diploma Student Council President, had learnt the song ‘Kau Terlalu Istimewa’ by the late and much-admired Malaysian icon, Adibah Noor. Shannon studied the lyrics and the melody all in four days and as soon as she arrived from her residing country, Laos, and went straight for the auditions to which she impressed the judging committee with her powerful vocals and got into the semi-finals.

At the finals at Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka in Kuala Lumpur, Shannon awed the audience with her remarkable vocal prowess and impeccable pronunciation of the Malay language and received RM5000 as 1st runner-up.

“I am so grateful for this opportunity. I was in it for the invaluable experience and I got so much more from it,” said Shannon. “It involved sleepless nights, stressful sessions, last minute inclusions but most importantly, it was amazing to see that friendships and bonds could be formed regardless of nationality. PALMA 2022 was such an amazing experience and one I shall cherish for years to come.”

The event was broadcasted through live streaming and it was indeed astounding to hear her vocal prowess and witness her glowing presence on stage, making most of her inter-cultural experience here in Malaysia. Shannon has done the family of Sunway Education Group proud indeed.