Maldivian artist, Abdulla Ziyau, has performed at ABU Radio Song Festival 2018. The Radio Song Festival 2018 hosted by Asia Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) and is being held in the in the Kazmedia centre at the capital of Kazakhstan, Astana.
The 30-year-old Maldivian singer has been performing since he was a child. As a person with visual impairment, he said music allows him to express his emotions. The singer has previously tried to represent Maldives in 2016 but was amongst the four singers from three countries not to make it past the judging panel ahead of the festival.
Apart from Ziyau, 10 artists from 9 other countries of the Asia Pacific region participated in the festival The ABU Radio Song Festival is a biennial song competition, organised by ABU, and is based on the Eurovision Song Contest.
The format consists of a non-televised semi-final and grand final which is broadcast. Participating countries which have full or additional full ABU membership are invited to submit a song from an act that is unsigned to any record label. These entries are listened to by a panel of jury members, who select 15 to proceed towards the radio festival final, where another panel of judges determining the top-5 prize winners.