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Congratulations to the 2010 Cheng & Tsui SuperStars! The votes are in, and voters chose from many talented finalists. You can view them all at our contest website. Our newest champions are Nicha Thumwanit of the Japanese VI class at Whitney High School, who won the Solo category with the inventive video, "Take You As You Are." The Group champion is the Advanced Japanese Class at Lindbergh High School, featuring Brandon Diep, Andrew Nguyen, Danny Vuong performing "Let Me Hear Your Voice." We had the chance to interview Nicha about her experience.
C&T: So, how long have you been singing in Japanese? How did you get started?
NT: I started learning Japanese back in seventh grade, but I've been a fan of Japanese music long before that due to my interest in anime. Then a few years back I learned about how people put up covers of their favorite songs on YouTube, bought a mic on a whim, and things just went from there!
C&T: How did you hear about the Cheng & Tsui SuperStar karaoke contest?
NT: The contest is an annual project for the Japanese III students at my school, so I'd heard about it for awhile.
C&T: Who are your favorite musical artists and idols you derive inspiration from?
NT: Oh dear, where do I start?! Well, if I had to choose a few, they would be Kokia and Ayaka for their amazingly powerful voices (I'm still amazed that Kokia managed to hold a note for almost half a minute!), Itou Kanako for her versatility, and Choucho from NND for her phenomenal range.
C&T: Is singing something you’d like to do professionally in the future?
NT: I believe that singing will be something that I'll continue to enjoy as a hobby long into the future, and that's enough for me.
C&T: What else do you do for fun besides singing and listening to J-Pop?
NT: I'm the type who inhales books, especially fantasy fiction (my favorite authors are Neil Gaiman, Diana Wynne Jones, Garth Nix and Terry Pratchett). I also enjoy sewing, doodling and baking.
C&T: Do you have anything you would like to say to your fans who voted for you?
NT: I could never have done this without you guys! It was amazing enough that I had made it into the finals...winning this contest still hasn't completely sunk in yet. A big shout out to all my friends, classmates, and Oyama-sensei for all of your support~! THANK YOU ALL AGAIN YOU ABSOLUTELY AMAZING PEOPLE!!!
C&T: Do you have any words of advice for future Cheng & Tsui SuperStar hopefuls?
NT: This may sound cheesy and all, but it's true: ALWAYS REMEMBER TO HAVE FUN! Don't get stressed about "winning" or "losing" or anything like that, just enjoy yourself and let loose. Even if you don't think you have the most amazing singing skittles in the world, give it a try...you'll never know what may come of it!
Thank you again to everyone who participated, and we'll see you in 2011!