- Title: SINGAPORE: MTV ASIA AWARDS 2002
- Date: 2nd February 2002
- Summary: SINGAPORE (FEBRUARY 2, 2002) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF JAPANESE POP SINGER AYUMI HAMASAKI ARRIVING; FANS (3 SHOTS) VARIOUS OF POP STRING QUARTET BOND ARRIVING (2 SHOTS) MV FANS CHEERING BEHIND BARRICADE - PULL OUT TO POP GIRL DUO M2M ARRIVING MORE OF VARIOUS CELEBRITIES ARRIVING (SOUNDBITE)(English) SINGAPOREAN SINGER KIT CHAN SAYING: "For the first time all the artists from
- Embargoed: 17th February 2002 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: SINGAPORE
- Country: Singapore
- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVAAE2E0D4Q48KEYP3PETSTKSY5E
- Story Text: A glittering array of stars from East and West lit up the inaugural MTV Asia Awards 2002 as Asia took its turn to pay tribute to home grown talent.
Pop stars, boy bands, wrestlers, Blue, Pink and a whole myriad of colourful celebrities and singers descended on the island city of Singapore for the inaugural MTV Asia Awards on Saturday (February 2).
All were decked out in their ceremonial best, to tease, to shock, and most of all, to entertain the hoards of screaming teenage fans who waited for hours to catch a glimpse of their idols on the red carpet.
Eleven country awards were up for grabs for the MTV Asia Awards reflecting the region's diverse musical tastes, and honouring the favourite artists in the first pan-Asian awards of its kind. Another eight trophies were handed out to international acts.
Apart from the award for best "inspiration", all winners were picked from a short list of five in each category by 13 million paper and Internet ballots across Asia.
Some celebrities saw the awards as a good opportunity to unite people in the echoes of the tensions and conflicts around the world.
"For the first time all the artists from different countries are coming together and I think especially in a time like that where there is a threatening of world peace, this is a good move, a really good move. Maybe music can really unite everybody," said Singaporean singer, Kit Chan.
Others saw it as a great way to promote Asian music beyond the shores of the continent. Organisers added the awards hope to "cross-pollinate" musical taste and drag local singers out of Asia's musical closet.
"I'm personally very proud because I feel that Asia is getting stronger and stronger. I didn't expect that we would be able to put up the awards so well. So I'm very happy. This is the inaugural awards and I hope the next ones would be even better. And that it would not just be held in Singapore, but also in Beijing, Taiwan and Hong Kong, so all the best," said Hidden Dragon, Crouching Tiger star Zhang Ziyi (pronounced chang-tze-yee).
A capacity crowd of some 7,000 packed Singapore's Indoor Stadium for the star-studded event hosted by ex-Boyzone front man Ronan Keating and American pop princess Mandy Moore.
Hordes of screaming teenage fans had packed the streets leading to the stadium hours ahead of the show.
"Very excited about it, Mandy and myself are doing it and we're very excited. It's going to be a lot of fun. It's going to be a crazy place and it's going to be jam packed with people all looking forward to it. I can't wait," said host Ronan Keating.
And some stars were even more eager than the hosts, as boy band Natural took some time off on the red carpet to impress their fans with some tunes of their own.
But the night's opening act belonged to sexy all-girl pop string quartet Bond as they kicked off the awards with a upbeat, pumping set.
The crowd then lapped up live performances from Irish boy band Westlife, Latin heartthrob Enrique Iglesias, Norwegian duo M2M and R&B artist Pink.
Japanese pop starlet Ayumi Hamasaki, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" actress Zhang Ziyi, and fashion designer Donatella Versace also ratcheted up the show's star factor.
Hamasaki and Westlife both won big as as they were crowned Most Influential Japanese Artiste in Asia and Best Pop Act respectively.
Singer Regine Velasquez walked away with the first award for the night as the Philippines' Favourite Music Artist.
Indonesia picked five-man band PADI as their choice while Malaysia opted for petite songbird Siti Nurhaliza.
Thailand picked local rock band Pru while Singapore's choice was gamine Stefanie Sun.
Hong Kong female singer Sammi Cheng beat a host of well-known nominees such as Andy Lau and Jackie Cheung to clinch her country award. But the flamboyant canto-pop star had to give the ceremony a miss because of a cold.
Taiwan picked pop singer Chang Hui Mei, popularly known as A-Mei, to win the prize while singer Kang Ta from South Korea bounced on stage to grab his cube-like trophy.
India's top pop artist was Shaan while duo Alka Yagnik and Udit Narayan came in as the sub-continent's favourite film artist.
Hong Kong martial arts star Jacky Chan, well-loved for his dare-devil stunts, won the Inspiration Award but had a stand-in receive his trophy.
MTV, the round-the clock music television network owned by U.S. media giant Viacom, said the show was broadcast to over 150 million viewers across Asia, with highlights beamed around the globe.
Global music sales in 2000 were worth $37 billion, according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry.
Industry sources say Asia's music sales, excluding Japan, have been steady at a mere $2.2 billion per year in the last two years, leaving plenty of room for growth as music lovers switch from cassette tapes to higher-value CDs and rampant piracy is put under increasing pressure.
WINNERS FOR MTV ASIA AWARDS 2002: Regional Favourite Music Artist: Singapore: Stefanie Sun Malaysia: Siti Nurhaliza Thailand: Pru Indonesia: Padi Philippines: Regine Velasquez Hong Kong: Sammi Cheng Taiwan: Chang Huei-mei Korea: Kang Ta China: Na Ying Favourite Artiste, Pop, India: Shaan Favourite Artiste, Film, India: Jaane Kyon, Dil Chahta Hai Most Influential Japanese Artiste in Asia: Ayumi Hamasaki International Favourite Male Artiste: Ricky Martin Favourite Female Artiste: Britney Spears Favourite Pop Act: Westlife Favourite Rock Act: Bon Jovi Favourite Video: The Call, Backstreet Boys Favourite Breakthrough Artiste: Linkin Park Favourite Film: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Favourite Fashion Designer: Donatella Versace Inspiration Award: Jackie Chan - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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