Maria (Meria Aires)

Meria Aires
Background information
Birth name	Meria Aires
Born	February 16, 1989 (1989-02-16) (age 22)
Origin	Brunei
Occupations	Singer
Years active	2005-Present
Website	http://www.zon365.com/bruneiartist/maria/index.htm

Maria (real name Meria Aires) (born February 16, 1989) is the most successful female singer in Brunei.^{[citation needed]} In the Pelangi Awards, Maria bagged the top honours; she was nominated for Best Female Vocal Artist and Best Duo/Band, and she won.^[1] Bisik Hati is her most successful single to date, debuted at number 1 in Pelangi Countdown.

Biography

Maria became a successful artist when she won the 2005 Kristal Idol contest in conjunction with His Majesty the Sultan of Brunei Darussalam's birthday celebrations.^{[citation needed]} At that time, she was still studying at the Raja Isteri Girls High School.^{[citation needed]} Her current manager is Hjh Zaimah.^{[citation needed]} Maria never aimed for a career in singing, but her talent has come naturally.^{[citation needed]} Her ambition is actually in the field of medicine and she works hard towards this.^{[citation needed]}

Maria debuted her first album with the band N'Destine, and is due to release her second album in early / mid February.^{[citation needed]} Maria is also currently nominated for Brunei's most popular female singer.^{[citation needed]} With a humble attitude and a personal commitment towards doing her best on whatever she does, Maria is a top-flight singer who can hold her own against other, foreign artists.^{[citation needed]}

Maria has performed at various state functions such as His KBDYM Majesty's Birthday.^[2] She also regularly performs at corporate events such as those from Baiduri Bank Group^[3] (she is a spokeswoman for this bank's FAST product) and TOTAL.^{[citation needed]}

Maria won Most Popular Female Artist at the 2008 Radio Television Brunei awards.^[4]

She released an album, 'Sesaat Kau Hadir', on May 23, 2009.^[5]

She released her new single "Cinta Ku" song collaboration with composer Lily Chiam. On the 13 of February 2011, she launched her new single Biar Sampai Akhir at Kallang CC Singapore song with Merah band from Singapore, together with an official music video produced by Singaporean production company Merah In Motion.

Awards

1. 1st Place in Top 35 Featured Bruneian Artist in Pelangi FM (2006)
2. Chosen Female Vocalist in Anugerah Pelangi (2006/2007)
3. Pelangi Artist of the Year (2006–2007)
4. Pelangi Artist of the Month (May 2007)
5. Pelangi Artist of the Month (May 2008)
6. Penyanyi Wanita Popular (Anugerah RTB 2008)
7. Chosen Female Vocalist in Anugerah Pelangi (2008/2009)
8. Most Voted BMOBILE Artists(Pelangi Awards 2009)
9. Penyanyi Wanita Popular (Anugerah RTB 2010)
10. Most Voted Female Artist (Cooltones Awards 2010)

Discography

Studio Album

• Maria and Destine • Sesaat Engkau Hadir

Personal life

She likes to spend her free time with playing guitar, listening to music, songwriting and reading.

Maria also engages in a variety of outdoor activities including cycling, jogging and swimming.

Sources

1. ^ Zasika Musidi. "Winners of Pelangi Awards attribute success to hard work". http://www.brusearch.com/viewnews.php?nid=24658. 
2. ^ Article on her performance at a state function: Malek Hashim (18 October 2008). "Her Majesty attends b'day celebration". Borneo Bulletin. http://www.sultanate.com/news_server/2008/18_oct_2.html. "The royal guests were also treated to a live singing performance by Maria, a well-known local entertainer who belted out three songs - 'Waktu', 'Janji' and 'Bassanova'." 
3. ^ Masli, Ubaidillah; BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN (March 2, 2008). "Baiduri hosts Chinese Lunar dinner". The Brunei Times. http://www.bt.com.bn/en/home_news/2008/03/02/baiduri_hosts_chinese_lunar_dinner. Retrieved 2009-05-24. 
4. ^ Razak, Khairi; BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN (February 16, 2009). "Glittering finale marks RTB 2008 awards". The Brunei Times. http://www.bt.com.bn/en/home_news/2009/02/16/glittering_finale_marks_rtb_2008_awards. Retrieved 2009-05-24. 
5. ^ "Maria’s launching of ‘Sesaat Kau Hadir’". 25 May 2009. http://yclife.wordpress.com/2009/05/25/marias-launching-of-sesaat-kau-hadir/. Retrieved 9 March 2010. 

Persondata
Name	Aeris, Maria
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1989-02-16
Place of birth
Date of death
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