EASY-going with a charming personality and a powerful singing voice, pop artiste Afieq Shazwan is a rising talent that has come far.
Back in 2008, at age 11, he was a finalist in TV9's 'Idola Kecil' reality TV competition, which caught the attention of the public.
In 2018, he came in third in the first season of 'Big Stage'. The singing competition saw him go up against fresh talents which saw him compete with fresh talents such as Sissy Imann, Ariff Bahran, Andi Bernadee, Tajul Ariff, and Baby Shima.
Now 26, Afieq, who is also an actor and host, will be performing 'Kucuma' with popular songbird Wany Hasrita during the 38th edition of Anugerah Juara Lagu (AJL38).
Wany was supposed to perform the rhythmic mid-tempo hit track with its original crooner, Datuk Jamal Abdillah.
But the veteran artiste had to pull out of the performance, so record label FMC Music chose the fresh-faced, Klang-born Afieq as a replacement.
"I was so nervous. I couldn't believe that I was chosen. Initially, I didn't even answer my phone calls from FMC after rumours started circulating that I was to sing the song.
"I mean, how do you sing something by Abang Jamal like that? It was crazy but I had to accept and take it as a responsibility to do my best," he said.
"Everyone around me was supportive and encouraging, especially my duet partner. This will be our first time as duet partners, so I'm excited as well.
"Wany is easy to work with and very direct so I can learn quickly and adapt," Afieq said recently when met.
The singer, whose full name is Mohammad Shafieq Shazwan Zamros, added that he's been rehearsing like crazy due to the short notice.
"A lot of it is just pressure that I put on myself as well, but my main goal now is to maintain my composure and just inhabit the feel of the song.
"I'm a night person and I like going out in the evening, so I've been staying home for the past two weeks to get enough rest as that will really help with my performance," he added.
Popular ballad and pop singer Wany, who was also present, said that her duet partner has been very professional. and is capable of taking on the challenge.
Another reason FMC chose Afieq is because our voices blend well together and there's a sort of chemistry when we sing together.
"We advised Afieq to just be himself, sing like how he naturally does, and don't try to copy Jamal," she said.
The 31-year-old singer added: "A lot of the stress is self-inflicted, for me as well. So, we're just going to have fun, enjoy ourselves that night, and make the most of it.
"After all, AJL is a celebration of talent. It's all about the composers and lyricists," Wany said enthusiastically.
'Kucuma', a percussive midtempo track with Arabesque elements created by A. Ramlee and Ezra Kong, will be competing with 11 other hit tunes for Best Song at AJL38.
The final concert will be broadcast live on TV3 at 9pm on March 3 from the Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur.
Viewers can also catch AJL38 on TV3's official YouTube channel and tonton.