NETHERLANDS, 21ST AUGUST 2023 – Internationally acclaimed singer-songwriter Heerraa bags her first award in Europe, receiving the Best of Pop Original (Young Adult) award for her heartfelt song ‘Peter Pan’ at the 4th International Red Carpet Award Show last weekend.
With over 2,700 submissions from 41 countries, Heerraa’s enchanting song ‘Peter Pan’ deeply resonated with the judges, including California-based singer and entertainer Deby Kelley, who awarded the Malaysian songstress the highest score in this category.
Presenting the award on stage, Kelley recounts, “This song took me on a magical ride. This artist’s vocals is absolutely amazing. She has her own style of sound. Her modern take on an old movie, I wanted to be a part of this journey. Great job!”
A first-time visitor to Europe and the Netherlands, the Harvard undergrad expressed her gratitude to receive the award for a song she wrote at 15 years old. “It’s been a crazy experience. Thank you so much to The Red Carpet Award Show, Gaby, Peter, and all the judges for taking the time to listen to my music.”
Fair Play Country Music Media (FPCM Media) founders Peter and Gaby Agrikola were overjoyed about Heerraa’s win. “It was awesome because I really like the song, ‘Peter Pan’. I love it! I am already a big fan of Heerraa,” said Gaby Agrikola.
Heerraa’s music serves a larger purpose, as she shares on stage how she aspires to “change the world with music and write songs about life lessons and messages that we often don’t talk about – [managing] ego or being carefree like a young person.” She dedicated her win to her supporters and collaborators, including ET Ideas and Ascendance, the latter being an international youth organization she co-founded in 2015.
Travelling across the globe for her music, Heerraa has performed in the US – captivating audiences across Nashville, rocking the main stage at the ISSA Awards in Atlanta and now adding the Netherlands to her belt. While at The Red Carpet Award Show, Heerraa delivered a powerful dual-language rendition (English and Malay) of her radio charting song, ‘Feel Alive’, an ode to her homeland.
“To hear my voice echoing across the auditorium while I was singing the lyrics in Malay was so surreal! Never had I imagined that I would perform in Malay to an audience in Europe. I had so much pride to be able to perform my hit song ‘Feel Alive’ in the Netherlands and share the message of finding your happiness within yourself. But more than that, it was a huge honour to be able to sing the song in both English and my national language, Malay. It was a phenomenal experience!” said Heerraa excitedly after gracing the stage in English and Malay to the primarily European audience.
This international award by FPCM Media took place at the Van der Valk Theaterhotel Almelo, with winners hailing from Italy, Australia, Germany, Kenya, India, the USA and the United Kingdom.
Founders of FPCM Media, Peter and Gaby Agrikola, reflected on their decades of journey in the music industry, which led to the formation of the awards, “The first time as we begin this event, we try to bring in the country music a little bit more forward because country music is in a little corner. Then other artists came from Soul, Jazz and R&B and they asked us, “Why not us?” and we said, “Everybody can!”. So we decided to bring them to FPCM Media so everybody can be included.”
“We try to bring the artists in the best possible light because they deserve it. So many fantastic voices in the world and nobody have noticed them,” sharing how this endeavour led to their expansion across multiple genres and categories, receiving submissions from a growing international music community.
As a Voting Member of the Recording Academy (home to the esteemed GRAMMYs®), Heerraa anticipates collaborating with musicians of the highest caliber as she contributes her songwriting skills to transformative music. Her journey expands to encompass corporate performances, theme songs, impactful compositions and songwriting with a strong aspiration to collaborate with like-minded brands and organizations, amplifying her mission to revolutionize the world through music.
Join Heerraa as she performs her next show in Johor Bahru with Legoland Malaysia Resort before continuing her US tour. Follow Heerraa’s musical journey on Instagram at https://instagram.com/HeerraaOfficial/ as she spreads her positive message globally.
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