American singer Brian McKnight to headline Tee.F.Dee music showcase in Kuching

Brian McKnight

By Shikin Louis

KUCHING, April 23: American R&B singer Brian McKnight is set to headline the upcoming Tee.F.Dee music segment in Kuching this May, as part of a wider line-up featuring regional and international acts from Indonesia, West Malaysia and Singapore.

The performance will take place during the BeatRoot Festival, one of the key components of the Tee.F.Dee (The Friendship Diplomacy) programme, scheduled from May 21 to 23 at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK).

Event organiser Andy ‘Atis’ Manuhutu said McKnight’s participation is currently being finalised, with contracts expected to be fully signed.

“He is expected to headline the event. We are still in the final stages, but everything is progressing well,” he said during the Tee.F.Dee press conference held at Baitul Makmur 2 building today.

He added that the initial headliner was British singer Ronan Keating, but the plan changed due to scheduling commitments.

“In the beginning, we had locked Ronan Keating, but due to Boyzone reuniting, he was unable to make it. At the same time, the opportunity came for Brian McKnight, and we are very excited about it,” he stated.

Apart from McKnight, the line-up will also feature regional acts including Juan Reza from Indonesia; Alyph, SonaOne and Layla Sania from Malaysia; as well as rapper Shigga Shay from Singapore.

Andy said more names are expected to be announced soon via official social media channels as final confirmations are completed.

The BeatRoot Festival is part of the broader Tee.F.Dee programme, which also includes SEAMEX (Southeast Asia Merchant Expo), Craftxibition and Collab-Hub, focusing on arts, technology, crafts and industry collaboration across ASEAN.

Ticket prices for the music segment are set between RM195 and RM328, while VIP passes are priced at around RM450 per night. — DayakDaily