UMMI UMAIRAH'S MEDAL ENDS MALAYSIA'S 10-YEAR 'DROUGHT' AT WCOPA

KUALA LUMPUR, July 14 (Bernama) -- Teenager Ummi Umairah Saiful Anuar, who won the gold medal in the Junior Champion Vocalist of the World category at the 27th World Championships of Performing Arts (WCOPA) in California earlier this month, has not only made Malaysia proud but her victory is also proof that the nation is not lacking in world-class singers.

A niece of renowned singer Datuk Seri Siti Nurhaliza, Ummi Umairah, 13, ended Malaysia’s 10-year drought at the prestigious WCOPA as the last time a Malaysian artiste won in the vocalist category was Aina Abdul in 2014.

Ummi Umairah’s mother Siti Sairah Taruddin said her daughter beat contestants from 30 other countries to emerge as the champion in the junior vocalist category.

“I hope with this victory achieved by Umai (as Ummi Umairah is fondly known), music industry fans can see that she made it this far with her own efforts,” she said. 

Siti Sairah said since Ummi Umairah started singing at the age of four, people have always linked her to her aunt Siti Nurhaliza.

“It's inevitable because they are related, but this win proves Umai is truly talented,” she said when met by Bernama after appearing in the Darah Muda programme aired by Bernama TV recently.

She also said she would make sure her daughter successfully balances her education with her singing career.

Meanwhile, Ummi Umairah, who is from Kuala Lipis, Pahang, said a few days before competing in WCOPA, she had a high fever, causing her to lose her voice and forcing her to practice in a low register, which limited her ability.

However, the situation did not dampen her spirit. She saw a doctor and took her medication daily until she recovered and was able to give her best performance in the final round of the competition.

This teenage star, who sang ‘A Natural Woman’ by Aretha Franklin at the finals, said she did not expect luck to be on her side as she only had two weeks to practice before making her international debut.

“It was really exciting for me to represent Malaysia and win (the junior vocalist award) at WCOPA. I didn't expect to be able to defeat the other contestants because they were so amazing and talented and had a lot of experience participating in high-level singing competitions.

"When I looked at my competitors, I asked myself, 'Can I do it?' Then I remembered my aunt’s (Siti Nurhaliza) words to be confident and believe in myself,” said Ummi Umairah, whose favourite international artistes include Celine Dion, Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey.

According to Siti Sairah, her daughter nearly had to abandon her dream of going to the United States to participate in WCOPA due to a lack of funds but Siti Nurhaliza stepped in to sponsor her trip.

-- BERNAMA