Hong Kong – September 3, 2018 – This year's Asia Pacific edition of Aloft Hotels' artist discovery competition Project: Aloft Star Asia-Pacific kicks into high gear with five original musicians from across Asia shortlisted to compete in the Grand Finals to be held at Aloft Seoul Myeongdong on 20 September 2018, battling it out to be named Asia Pacific's 2018 Project: Aloft Star. 

Marriott International's “Different. By Design” Aloft Hotels are hotspots for music makers and music lovers from around the world, and the brand has been fostering and incubating emerging musical talents around the world for over a decade. Project: Aloft Star is a global artist discovery competition running in four regions around the world[1], powered by Marriott International's partnership with Universal Music Group & Brands (UMGB). UMGB is the brand strategy division of Universal Music Group (UMG), the world leader in music-based entertainment. 

Between June and July this year, unsigned artists, bands and songwriters in Asia Pacific were invited to submit their original compositions to the competition website at www.projectaloftstarasia.com. From the entries submitted, UMG's executives selected one finalist from each cluster in the Asia-Pacific region. The next round, from September 3 to 19, 2018, will see public voting opened up to fans to show their support for the finalists by picking their favorites to win the Grand Prize. The three voters who correctly pick the winner and share the reason for their choice, will stand a chance to win 50,000 loyalty program points each, redeemable for stays at participating Marriott International hotels around the world and other travel rewards.

Indian Bollywood star Salim Merchant, Taiwanese singer and actress Rachel Liang, Korean R&B singer, songwriter and producer SAAY and Australian Triple J presenter Alex Dyson will also be mentoring the Project: Aloft Star Asia Pacific finalists in preparation for their performances in Seoul. The finals event will feature a special performance by SAAY. 

While the Finale is open to everyone to join, the best way to experience it will be as a member of Marriott's award-winning loyalty programs Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) and Marriott Rewards. Special member benefits will include a pre-concert Meet & Greet cocktail with SAAY, autographed record and exclusive event merchandise - available for redemption with loyalty program points through SPG Moments and Marriott Rewards Moments.

The five finalists chosen to compete head-to-head at the Finale are:

Australia finalist: High Tropics

Dubbed as “infectious garage pop” by Rolling Stone, High Tropics is the moniker of Queensland based singer-songwriter Josh Stewart and his band. The indie rockers have already built a steady following, packing out venues along the East Coast of Australia and amassing close to half a million streams with their last two singles 'You Never Made It Easy', and 'Wait For You'.

Southeast Asia finalist: Nate Nontree

Nate Nontree is a singer, musician, voice teacher and interior designer from Bangkok, Thailand.  Although he majored in interior architecture, Nontree is a classically trained pianist and always loved to sing. In high school, he started making cover videos on YouTube, later joining University Big Band (C.U. Band), cutting his teeth in the Bangkok live music scene before appearing on The Voice Thailand in 2017.

India finalist: Hanita Bhambri

While studying brand management at MICA, Hanita had hopes of connecting with people on an emotional level through her amazing storytelling. This talented musician's songs are often melancholic reflections about love and loneliness, revolving around her personal experiences. She has creatively collaborated with Miti Adhikari and Christian Wright, at Abbey Road Studios in London.

Korea finalist: Blah

Blah has been uploading and distributing his own music on Soundcloud since he was a university student, reaching out to a broad audience. He's also participated as a featured artist and producer for notable Korean artists including Way Ched and Chamane. As a musician, Blah's life-long goal is to continue producing and performing music that allows many people to relate to his tunes emotionally.

Greater China finalist: Eric Kung

Eric Kung is a singer, musician, and an information systems engineer based in Taiwan whose musical style has been influenced by John Mayer. Although working as a full-time engineer, Eric has dedicated his life to music. Every song represents the different stages of his life. “I live with music. It's simple, it's good and that's all it matters,” says Eric.

“Discovering and nurturing local music talent around the globe is our mission at Universal Music Group. Creating an innovative platform for emerging artists to showcase their music to new fans around the world with Aloft Hotels, shows what a brilliant partnership can deliver.” said Gus Henderson, Head of New Business Asia, Universal Music Group & Brands “Their brand is all about providing opportunities for up-and-coming musicians to break into the industry, with competitions such as Project: Aloft Star. We can't wait to see this year's group of diverse and talented musicians shine on the stage in Seoul.”

“This year's entries to Project: Aloft Star, which is now in its fifth year, take the competition to a whole new level,” said Mike Fulkerson, Vice President, Brand & Marketing Asia-Pacific, Marriott International. “This year's competition is bigger and louder than ever, and we have an incredible Grand Finale lined up for fans at Aloft Seoul Myeongdong in September. We can't wait to see these outstanding artists battle it out for the chance to gain the recognition and support they so richly deserve and to kickstart their careers in the music industry.”

Project: Aloft Star Asia Pacific 2018 Finals Details

Date: September 20, 2018, 7:00 p.m.

Venue: Aloft Seoul Myeongdong

To find out more about the competition, vote for your favorite finalists, and sign up for tickets, please visit www.projectaloftstarasaia.com. The 'View and Vote' phase will run from September 3 – 19.

The Finale will also be live-streamed on Facebook.

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UMG and Marriott International Partnership

Since UMG and Marriott International first started working together in 2015, the global partnership has grown to encompass Marriott's expanded portfolio and has come to life through concerts showcasing UMG's premiere talent at Marriott properties across the globe, most recently at an emerging female-led artist showcase at Aloft Austin Downtown during the 2018 South by Southwest® (SXSW®) Conference and Festivals.

About Aloft Hotels
With more than 125 hotels now open in nearly 20 countries and territories around the world, Aloft Hotels, part of Marriott International, Inc., delivers a fresh approach to the traditional staid hotel landscape. For the 'always on' next generation of traveler, the Aloft brand offers a tech-forward, vibrant experience and a modern style that is different by design. Aloft is proud to participate in the industry's award-winning loyalty program, Starwood Preferred Guest®. Members can now link accounts with Marriott Rewards®, which includes The Ritz-Carlton Rewards® at members.marriott.com for instant elite status matching and unlimited points transfer. For more information, please visit www.alofthotels.com and follow along on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

About Universal Music Group  

Universal Music Group (UMG) is the world leader in music-based entertainment, with a broad array of businesses engaged in recorded music, music publishing, merchandising and audiovisual content in more than 60 countries. Featuring the most comprehensive catalog of recordings and songs across every musical genre, UMG identifies and develops artists and produces and distributes the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful music in the world. Committed to artistry, innovation and entrepreneurship, UMG fosters the development of services, platforms and business models in order to broaden artistic and commercial opportunities for our artists and create new experiences for fans. Universal Music Group is a Vivendi company. Find out more at: http://www.universalmusic.com.

About Marriott Rewards, Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) and The Ritz-Carlton Rewards

Marriott International's award-winning loyalty programs – Marriott Rewards, SPG, and The Ritz-Carlton Rewards – unite 29 unique and iconic global brands and over 6,700 distinctive properties in 130 countries and territories around the world, providing members with endless inspiration to travel the world. The programs, operating under one set of unparalleled benefits, enable more 110 million members to earn points toward free hotel stays, and achieve Elite status faster than ever, seamlessly and easily book or redeem points for stays throughout the portfolio. To enhance their travels, member may also indulge in 120,000 experiences offered on moments.marriott.com. When booking direct on Marriott.com, SPG.com or any of Marriott's mobile apps, members can take advantage of exclusive Member Rates, free and enhanced Wi-Fi, mobile check-in and checkout, Mobile Requests and, wherever available, Mobile Key. To enroll for free or for more information about the programs, visit Marriott.com orSPG.com. Travelers can also connect with Marriott Rewards on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and learn more about #spglife on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Press Contact

Beverly Cheng
Senior Brand PR Manager, Asia Pacific, Marriott International
Beverly.Cheng@Marriott.com    

(852) 2192 6202

Alethea Lam
Vice President, Communications, Asia Pacific, Marriott International
Alethea.Lam@Marriott.com   

11/F Cityplaza One, 1111 King's Road
Taikoo Shing, Hong Kong

(852) 2192 6000

[1] Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa, Europe and the Americas