ALOFT HOTELS ANNOUNCES
“HANITA BHAMBRI” AS WINNER OF PROJECT: ALOFT STAR ASIA PACIFIC 2018 IN SEOUL
The soulful singer from India beat four other finalists
from to win the chance to record and release their single and music video through
Universal Music Group
SEOUL, KOREA, SEPTEMBER 21, 2018 - After an
exciting finale at the Aloft Seoul Myeondong, Hanita Bhambri emerged as the
ultimate winner of this year’s Project: Aloft Star Asia Pacific - a competition
that identifies the hottest emerging music talent from around the globe,
offering them a chance to kick-start their careers - spearheaded by Marriott International’s Aloft Hotels in
partnership with Universal Music Group & Brands (UMGB), the brand strategy
division of Universal Music Group (UMG), the world leader in music-based
entertainment.
From the 1,000+ original song entries
and more than 70,000 online votes cast, five finalists including Australia’s High Tropics, Southeast Asia’s Nate Nontree from Thailand, India’s Hanita Bhambri, South Korea’s Blah and Greater China’s Eric Kung from Taiwan battled it out onstage
for the ultimate prize. Hanita Bhambri wins the chance to record and release her
original track and music video through Universal Music Group and their
prestigious labels.
The finalists performed live at Aloft Seoul Myeongdong in South
Korea to a venue packed with more than 100 influencers, global media, Marriott loyalty
members and guests. Thousands of fans worldwide joined the excitement, watching
via Facebook live. Each finalist performed one original song to a panel of
judges from Aloft, Universal Music Group and
music industry experts. The four judges evaluated
on showmanship and stage presence, technical skill, the “WOW” factor,
creativity and originality and international appeal, along with original song writing
and music composition.
“I
feel so blessed to be chosen as the ultimate winner. Music has always been a
passion of mine and I’m so thankful to Aloft Hotels and Universal Music Group
for giving me this opportunity to follow my dreams. I can’t wait to share my
music with new fans around the world.” said Hanita Bhambri, this year’s Project:
Aloft Star Asia Pacific winner.
“The
energy and excitement in the room from both the guests and the contestants was palpable.
Each of the five bands did a phenomenal job in their performances, it was
really hard for us to choose one final winner,” said Devraj Sanyal, Managing
Director and CEO, India and South Asia, Universal Music Group. “It was really
close, but in the end, we were all very impressed by Hanita Bhambri’s
showmanship and her original piece really moved me.”
Aloft
Hotels has been fostering and incubating emerging musical talent around the
world for over a decade. Project: Aloft Star is a global artist discovery
competition running in four regions around the world,
powered by Marriott International’s partnership with Universal Music Group
& Brands (UMGB). Marriott
International’s “Different. By Design” Aloft Hotels are hotspots for music
makers and music lovers from around the world.
Three lucky online voters who correctly guessed the winner also won
50,000 loyalty points each, redeemable for stays at participating Marriott
International hotels around the world and other rewards.
NOTES TO EDITORS
BIOGRAPHIES OF THE FIVE FINALISTS FROM EACH REGION:
High Tropics
Dubbed as
“infectious garage pop” by Rolling Stone,
High Tropics is the moniker of Queensland based
singer-songwriter Josh Stewart and his band. The indie rockers
have already built a steady following, packing out venues along the East Coast
of Australia and amassing close to half a million streams with their last two
singles ‘You Never Made It Easy’, and ‘Wait For You’.
Nate Nontree
Nate Nontree
is a singer, musician, voice teacher and interior designer from Bangkok,
Thailand. Although he majored in
interior architecture, Nontree is a classically trained pianist and always
loved to sing. In high school, he
started making cover videos on YouTube, later joining University Big Band (C.U.
Band), cutting his teeth in the Bangkok live music scene before appearing on
The Voice Thailand in 2017.
Hanita Bhambri
While studying brand management at MICA, Hanita had hopes of connecting
with people on an emotional level through her amazing storytelling. This
talented musician’s songs are often melancholic reflections about love and
loneliness, revolving around her personal experiences. She has creatively
collaborated with Miti Adhikari and Christian Wright, at Abbey Road Studios in
London.
Blah
Blah has been uploading and distributing his own music on Soundcloud
since he was a university student, reaching out to a broad audience. He’s also
participated as a featured artist and producer for notable Korean artists
including Way Ched and Chamane. As a musician, Blah’s life-long goal is to
continue producing and performing music that allows many people to relate to
his tunes emotionally.
Eric Kung
Eric Kung is
a singer, musician, and an information systems engineer based in Taiwan whose
musical style has been influenced by John Mayer. Although working as a
full-time engineer, Eric has dedicated his life to music. Every song represents
the different stages of his life. “I live with music. It’s simple, it’s good
and that’s all it matters,” says Eric.
LIST OF JUDGES AT FINALE:
SAAY is
a 24-year-old Korean
R&B singer-songwriter who made her debut in 2017. SAAY’s first encounter
with rock music was through her own brother who played in a Rock and Roll band.
Watching Michael Jackson’s MTV performance as a child was a turning point for
SAAY and inspired her to pursue a career in R&B and pop music. She soon
relocated to Seoul and SAAY debuted as the leader and lead vocal of the girl
group called ‘Evol’ in 2012. In 2016, she signed to Universal Music Korea as a
solo artist. She is currently showcasing her talent at many of the industry’s
major upcoming events and festivals.
Alex Dyson is a renowned
Australian music industry personality who has a highly engaged following among
Australian youth as well as local musicians and talent. One of the longest
serving Triple J radio breakfast presenters, both with the Matt and Alex and
Tom and Alex breakfast show for seven years, Alex woke up early every morning
to chat on-air with their 1 million+ weekly listeners, produce humorous
material for Triple J socials, write and act in sketches and promotional videos
for Triple J merchandise, and interview an extensive list of touring musicians
and Hollywood actors.
Shu
Ping Liang
is Marriott International’s brand leader for the Select Service brands in Asia
Pacific – Courtyard by Marriott, Four Points by Sheraton, Fairfield by
Marriott, Aloft Hotels, Element Hotels, Moxy Hotels and AC Hotels by Marriott. Shu Ping is responsible for the development,
localization and implementation of brand experiences, marketing strategies and
integrated programs for her portfolio of brands, supporting over 150 hotels in
more than a dozen countries.
Devraj
Sanyal, is the Managing
Director & CEO of Universal
Music Group India & South Asia. Under his leadership, the company has
become a music-based
entertainment business, with a broad array of activities across labels and
recorded music, music publishing, live, merchandising, brand partnerships, artist
promotion and audiovisual content creation.
UMG is India’s leading label for Indie &
non-film music.
About
Aloft Hotels
With over 150 hotels now open in over
20 countries and territories around the world, Aloft Hotels, part of Marriott
International, Inc., delivers a fresh approach to the traditional staid hotel
landscape. For the ‘always on’ next generation of traveler, the Aloft brand
offers a tech-forward, vibrant experience and a modern style that is different
by design. Aloft is proud to participate in the industry’s award-winning
loyalty program, Starwood Preferred Guest®. Members can now link accounts with
Marriott Rewards®, which includes The Ritz-Carlton Rewards® at members.marriott.com for instant elite status matching and unlimited points transfer. For more information, please visit www.alofthotels.com and follow along on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
About
Universal Music Group
Universal
Music Group (UMG) is the world leader in music-based entertainment, with a
broad array of businesses engaged in recorded music, music publishing,
merchandising and audiovisual content in more than 60 countries. Featuring the
most comprehensive catalog of recordings and songs across every musical genre,
UMG identifies and develops artists and produces and distributes the most
critically acclaimed and commercially successful music in the world. Committed
to artistry, innovation and entrepreneurship, UMG fosters the development of
services, platforms and business models in order to broaden artistic and
commercial opportunities for our artists and create new experiences for fans.
Universal Music Group is a Vivendi company. Find out more at: http://www.universalmusic.com.
Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR) is based in Bethesda, Maryland, USA, and
encompasses a portfolio of more than 6,700 properties in 30 leading hotel
brands spanning 130 countries and territories. Marriott operates and franchises
hotels and licenses vacation ownership resorts all around the world. The
company also operates award-winning loyalty programs: Marriott Rewards®, which
includes The Ritz-Carlton Rewards®, and Starwood Preferred Guest®. For
more information, please visit our website at www.marriott.com, and for the latest company news, visit www.marriottnewscenter.com. In addition, connect with us on Facebook and @MarriottIntl on Twitter and Instagram.
About
Marriott Rewards, which includes The Ritz-Carlton Rewards,
and Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG)
Marriott International’s
award-winning loyalty programs – Marriott Rewards, which includes The
Ritz-Carlton Rewards, and SPG – unite 29 unique and iconic global brands
and over 6,700 distinctive properties in 130 countries and territories around
the world, providing members with endless inspiration to travel the world. The
programs, operating under one set of unparalleled benefits, enable more 110
million members to earn points toward
free hotel stays, and achieve Elite status faster than ever, seamlessly and
easily book or redeem points for stays throughout the portfolio. To enhance
their travels, member may indulge in nearly 120,000 experiences offered on Marriott
Moments, Marriott Rewards Moments and SPG Moments. When booking direct on Marriott.com, SPG.com or any of Marriott’s mobile
apps, members can take advantage of exclusive Member Rates, free and
enhanced Wi-Fi, mobile check-in and checkout, Mobile Requests and, wherever
available, Mobile Key. To enroll for free or for more information about the
programs, visit members.marriott.com. Travelers can also connect
with Marriott Rewards on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and learn more about #spglife on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
MEDIA CONTACTS
Beverly Cheng
Senior Brand PR
Manager, Asia Pacific, Marriott International
Alethea Lam
Vice President,
Communications, Asia Pacific, Marriott International
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