Singaporean singer Iskandar Ismail wins 12th season of Malaysian singing competition Gegar Vaganza

Singaporean singer Iskandar Ismail, 47, has been crowned the winner of the popular Malaysian singing competition Gegar Vaganza on Sunday (Jan 18) night. Gegar Vaganza, which just concluded its 12th season, pits celebrity singers from around the region against each other. Previous Gegar Vaganza winners from Singapore include Hady Mirza in 2019 and Aliff Aziz in 2021.

The finale on Sunday saw Iskandar wowing judges Hetty Koes Endang, Syafinaz Selamat and Ramli MS with powerful covers of two songs by acclaimed Malaysian singer Ziana Zain: Madah Berhelah (Deceptive Words) and Senja Nan Merah (Red Sunset). He performed the latter alongside singer-actress Jaclyn Victor.

As the winner of Gegar Vaganza, Iskandar Ismail walked away with a cash prize of RM100,000 (S$32,000). Coming in at second place was Indonesian group Mendua, who earned RM50,000.