Percy Aaron of Lae, Morobe Province, on Monday December 9th walked away as PNG’s new big talent and the 2019 Digicel Stars grand final winner.
Aaron captured the grand prize Nissan Patrol Ironman 4x4 from Boroko Motors and a trip to any location in PNG courtesy of PNG Air; after raking in the most votes from fans, family and viewers across PNG.
This followed his performance at the Digicel Stars grand final showdown at the Lamana Gold Club in Port Moresby.
It has been a long but exciting journey for Aaron, who first auditioned in Lae and was selected as one of the winners from Lae. After competing in the Digicel Stars semi-finals, Aaron successfully made it into the grand finale where he competed against seven other top talents from across PNG.
A stoked Aaron said: “I’d like to say thank you to everyone, I started this journey but I would have never made it this far without all the votes from you. I have my family to thank but I know I have my fans out there and you made this possible for me; so thank you. To my family especially my princess (daughter) you got your wish, now you’ll be dropped off at school next year.”
Rawali Kila from Port Moresby was announced as the runner up of the talent competition. Kila was also a fan favourite and has scored himself a trip to anywhere in PNG courtesy of PNG Air. He stole the hearts of many Papua New Guineans with his Elvis Presley impersonation and was a very deserving winner of the runner’s up prize.
Digicel Stars Head Judge and Senior Vice President of Digicel PNG, Lorna McPherson, said: “On behalf of myself, fellow judges and Team Digicel, I would like to congratulate Percy on winning the 2019 Digicel Stars title and also all who have participated in the Digicel Stars competition throughout the country.
“Some of you have made it through, some did not but nevertheless, you were courageous enough to step forward and to showcase your talent to all of Papua New Guinea.
“To us, each and every one of you are a Digicel Star. For those who’ve made it this far, you can only go up and beyond from here as you have shown us over the past few weeks how committed you are to grow and to develop your talent. PNG and the world is now yours for the taking, go out and conquer it.
“We are extremely grateful and proud that one of PNG’s leading car dealers, Boroko Motors, has come onboard to support the Digicel Stars talent competition, a platform that is set to discover and reward talented Papua New Guineans.
“We wanted to make the competition bigger and better this year with the inclusion of a variety of talents including singers, dancers, comedians, magicians and more; as such a bigger better prize like the Nissan Patrol Ironman 4x4 was perfect fit. Thank you Boroko Motors.”
McPherson added: “We have developed wonderful friendships throughout the journey and our friendship with the contestants, judges and sponsors will surely go a long way. Special thanks to all our sponsors as Digicel Stars could not have been the great success it turned out to be without your support and generosity.
“To our presenting sponsors Niugini Ice, and main sponsors PNG Air, Lamana and Samsung and of course, Boroko Motors, we thank you tremendously.”
Group GM, Sales and Marketing for WR Carpenters PNG, Michael Townsley, said: “Firstly, I want to congratulate all the participants who have performed right across the country. To the finalists tonight here in Port Moresby, what an outstanding job, you should all be incredibly proud of what you’ve done and what you’ve achieved and the futures you can have moving forward.
“On behalf of WR Carpenters and Boroko Motors, this has been a great sponsorship for us to be part of. It’s all about music, entertainment, bringing it to the people and we couldn’t be more proud to be part of such a professional event that has come to PNG. I want to say a huge congratulations to the winner, well done Percy.”
Digicel Stars could not have been such a great success without the participations of its Star Judges Elton Kili, Anslom Nakikus, Lorna McPherson and Allen “AKAY 47” Kedea; accompanied by the show’s host, Carol Kidu, Arthur Tane, Leon Gawi and Jacob Ilave and the Digicel TV production team.
Digicel Stars is set to return in 2020 with more auditions, more venues and more opportunities for all Papua New Guineans.