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🇲🇾 Malaysia /Culture & Society

At last, someone is recognising Borneo’s creative talent, says Marsha Milan

From Utusan Malaysia · () Malay

Translated from Malay and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • Singer Marsha Milan says Borneo Rising can give emerging artists from Sabah and Sarawak access to opportunities that were scarce when she began her career.
  • The Astro reality programme has selected Milan as a permanent judge and will hold auditions across districts in both states.
  • Milan says many talented performers from Borneo may simply have lacked the right opportunity to enter the industry.

For Marsha Milan, Borneo Rising offers something she once struggled to find: a real opening for artists from Sabah and Sarawak. The Sabah-born singer, who has been appointed as one of the permanent judges on Astro’s new reality programme, says the show could help bring more Borneo talent into Malaysia’s entertainment industry.

Milan said she felt grateful that Sabah now had a platform of this kind. When she entered the industry around 2005, opportunities were far more limited. The programme’s decision to conduct auditions in several districts across Sabah and Sarawak could also help producers discover performers from areas that are often difficult to reach.

I'm very grateful that Sabah has finally been given a platform like this, because in my time around 2005, opportunities like this were very difficult to obtain.

· Marsha MilanShe described the lack of opportunities when she began her entertainment career.

“I'm very grateful that Sabah has finally been given a platform like this, because in my time around 2005, opportunities like this were very difficult to obtain,” Milan said. She added that travelling to auditions could be a serious obstacle for people living on Sabah’s east coast and in other remote areas.

I'm very proud and happy to see more talent from Borneo with the potential to become the next generation in the industry, God willing.

· Marsha MilanShe welcomed the programme’s effort to develop artists from Sabah and Sarawak.

Milan recalled that she once questioned whether a career in entertainment could provide a stable livelihood. At the time, there were fewer television programmes dedicated to developing singers and actors, and the industry offered fewer visible routes for newcomers. Coming from Tamparuli helped because Kota Kinabalu was relatively accessible, but she said others faced greater transport difficulties.

She believes Sabah and Sarawak have never lacked talented singers. Milan said she had seen many capable performers at auditions, including those for Akademi Fantasia 3, although some had not yet found their opportunity. As a judge, she said she would remain professional while helping identify and develop the next generation of Borneo artists.

I'm very grateful that someone has finally recognised the talent of Borneo's artists and provided them with space.

· Marsha MilanShe said Borneo Rising gives regional artists a route to wider recognition.
About this summary

Originally published by Utusan Malaysia in Malay. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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