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MTV Asia Awards 2004 Rocks Singapore! What a Valentine's day to remember, with the stars coming out in full force for the MTV Asia Awards (MAA) this year! Hosted by pop musicians Michelle Branch and Vaness Wu, the pan-regional awards presented a total of 20 awards to artists and personalities voted by viewers.
The glittering list of stars at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on 14 February included 5566, Black Eyed Peas, Blue, Derek McDonald, Gareth Gates, Javier, Liberty X, Simple Plan, Sugababes, Stacie Orrico; Isha Kopikar (India); Iwan Fals, Mocca and Audy (Indonesia); BoA (Korea); Too Phat, Siti Sarah, Misha Omar and Siti Nurhaliza (Malaysia); Rivermaya (Philippines); Stefanie Sun and Tanya Chua (Singapore); A*Mei and Machi (Taiwan); Armchair, Blackhead, "Bird" Thongchai McIntyre, Boyd Kosiyabong, Parn-Thanaporn, Tata Young, Katreeya English, Jintara Poonlarb and Nut Myria (Thailand).
And the winners are...
Pop goddess Mariah Carey, who made a special surprise appearance at the show, was presented with a special Lifetime Achievement Award. Others who received awards hounour were Korean pop diva, BoA ('Most Influential Asian Artist', and Favourite Artist Korea), Sammi Cheng, Siti Nurhaliza and Stefanie Sun (Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore artistes respectively, who each emerged triumphant for the third straight year in the Favourite Artist category).
Bands like Linkin Park (Favourite Rock Act and Favourite Video), and Blue also received recognition (Favourite Pop Act for the second year running). All winners walked away with a cupid trophy - MTV's interpretation of love - the theme of this year's event. MTV also paid tribute to the late Hong Kong superstar Anita Mui by presenting her with the Inspiration Award. Mui's close friend, international superstar Michelle Yeoh, gave a touching tribute and collected the trophy on her behalf. Yeoh herself was presented The Asian Film Award for her contribution to the film industry. An evening of fabulous performances Apart from the trophies being handed out, the evening was filled with stellar performances.
Opening the show with a risque song and dance number were the Pussy Cat Dolls. Korean diva, BoA's, rendition of "Rock With You", and Simple Plan's energetic medley of "Perfect" and "Addicted" soon followed. From the UK, Sugababes enthralled the crowd with "Too Lost In You", while on the regional front, Thailand's "Bird" Thongchai McIntyre mesmerised everyone with his choreography and catchy tune. Isha Kopikar's dynamic performance, complete with a team of Indian dancers was so lively, it spurred many in the audience to get up to dance! The show was brought to an all time high with a finale performance by multi-ethnic rap crew, Black Eyed Peas. Dazzling spectators with a medley of their energetic hip-hop hits "Shut Up" and "Where Is The Love?", they were met with thunderous applause and whistles as they brought the house down. ...and unique collaborations
Hailed as the 'Asian' version of other MTV awards shows, MAA this year continued the tradition of mixing Asian and international artists in collaborations never seen before. These included duet performances by Gareth Gates and Siti Nurhaliza crooning "Say It Isn't So"; A*Mei and Machi performing a remixed version of "Hypocrisy". Stacie Orrico, together with Malaysia's Too Phat and Singapore's Urban Xchange sang a medley of remixed hits "More To Life" and "Stuck".
Apart from cross-cultural pairing, performances also married Asian influences, like the use of tablas drums) with Western sounds. At the end of the show, showers of confetti and balloons were dropped from the ceiling, sealing the celebratory mood and bringing the successful show to a climax.
As in the past two years, this year's MAA etched into viewers' mind's Singapore's reputation as a mega events capital. Beamed to one billion viewers across Asia on MTV's eight Asian channels in China, India, South Korea, Taiwan, the Phillipines, Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore -as well as an edited version which will be shown in Japan, Europe, North and South America, the show brought perceptions up to reality by showcasing Singapore as a hip and happening place to be. Furthermore, held at Singapore Indoor Stadium for the third year running, the celebrity-filled awards show was attended by some 8,000 fans. This is a significant increase since the first and second MAAs were attended by some 7,000 and 7,500 people respectively. Fans from the region got into the action too, with a 20% growth registered for the sale of event tour packages. Apart from fans, MAA also attracted the most number of local, regional and international artists for a one event in one day here. MTV reported that this year, a 500-strong contingent comprising artists and their entourages alone. Significantly, the show has had a positive impact across tourism-related industries - some 200 rooms were booked at the official hotel Fullerton, and a post-event party for 1,600 was held at the Equinox club at Swissotel the Stamford Singapore. Winners of the 2004 MTV Asia Awards:
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