Rul Azhar takes home RM20,000 as Bintang P. Ramlee 2026 champion

Abang Johari (third left) presents the prize to Rul Azhar as the champion of the Bintang P. Ramlee 2026 grand title at DeTAR PUTRA, UNIMAS, Kuching, on Oct 11, 2026.

By Shikin Louis

KUCHING, Oct 12: Rul Azhar of the Northern Zone won the Bintang P. Ramlee 2026 title after performing “Derita” at the grand finale held at DeTAR PUTRA, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS), last night (Oct 11).

Rul Azhar, whose real name is Mohamad Faghrul Azhar Mohamad Zabandi, received RM20,000, a trophy and a certificate for winning the competition.

Mahathir Zailani of the Sarawak Zone finished second, earning RM15,000, while Jeffryzan Jamil of the Sabah Zone placed third with RM10,000. Both also received trophies and certificates.

Mohd Ridzuan Md Taib, representing the Southern Zone, took the Best Performance award, which carried a cash prize of RM2,000, a trophy and a certificate.

The prizes were presented by Sarawak Premier Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg.

Also attending the event were Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah and Communications Ministry secretary-general Datuk Abdul Halim Hamzah.

This year’s edition, themed “Satu Dalam Sejuta”, brought together six finalists from the Sarawak, Northern, Central, Eastern, Southern and Sabah zones to showcase their interpretations of songs composed by the late Tan Sri P. Ramlee.

The grand finale comprised two segments, with the first, “Irama Sang Seniman”, featuring solo performances by the six finalists.

The second segment, “Harmoni Kasih”, saw the contestants team up with Sarawak singers Nur Hijrah Yahya, Roxy Izzy and Azie Mustapha for trio performances, each preceded by a short acting segment.

The evening was hosted by actors Tony Eusoff and Nabila Huda.

The line-up also featured guest artistes Aina Abdul and Amir Masdi, alongside Danie Hasbullah, the winner of the 2024 edition, who returned to the stage as a guest performer.

Organised by Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) in collaboration with the Sarawak government, Bintang P. Ramlee was first held in Sarawak in 1988 before expanding to the national level in 1993.

The biennial competition introduced international participation in 2016. — DayakDaily