Athletics coach Alfred Sim wins Project Superstar singing contest

Athletics coach Alfred Sim (right), 33, beat polytechnic student Abigail Yeo (left), 19 to win local Mandarin singing competition Project Superstar on Sunday night. -- PHOTO: MEDIACORP CHANNEL U
Athletics coach Alfred Sim (right), 33, beat polytechnic student Abigail Yeo (left), 19 to win local Mandarin singing competition Project Superstar on Sunday night. -- PHOTO: MEDIACORP CHANNEL U

Local Mandarin singing contest Project Superstar announced its third male winner on Sunday night when athletics coach Alfred Sim, 33, beat polytechnic student Abigail Yeo, 19.

Kelvin Tan Weilian and Daren Tan were the first two winners, in 2005 and 2006, respectively.

Returning for a third season on Channel U after eight years, the MediaCorp contest saw a close fight between the two aspiring stars in the final showdown when it came down to public votes via local the app Toggle Now. Sim had 52 per cent of the votes, while Yeo had 48 per cent of the votes.

The results were determined by public votes (25 per cent) and the five judges (75 per cent), including composer-producer Roy Loi and Taiwanese veteran singer Tiger Huang.

Sim, the oldest contestant on the show, looked visibly shocked when it was announced that he had won the overall champion title, that comes with a $15,000 cash prize and a one-year MediaCorp contract. Runner-up Yeo, the youngest competitor on the show, snagged $10,000 cash.

"Thank you, everyone who has come down to support me. My mother is crying. I love you guys. I'm lost for words."

Among his supporters in the audience were his family, friends and a special someone whom the camera zoomed in on repeatedly - local singer Tay Kewei. Sim, who sings at weddings and Mandopop live house Switch by Timbre, later admitted in interviews that Tay is his girlfriend.

Catch the repeat telecast of Project SuperStar 2014 Grand Final on Saturday (Nov 2) on Channel U at 11.30am.

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