Esther Applunius


Elizabeth Applunius Chin, also known as Esther Applunius or Esther OIAM 3 is a Malaysian singer. Her father, Applunius Chin of Papar, is a veteran musician on Radio Televisyen Malaysia.
The fifth of eight siblings, she studied at Shan Tao Kindergarten, SRJK and Kota Kinabalu High School. Esther has enjoyed singing since she was nine years old, and at the age of 10 she was Sabah champion in the RTM singing contest Bintang Kecil.
In 2009 she reached the final of the popular Malaysian TV reality show One in a Million and many expected her to win. However, she gained second place after Shah Indrawan Ismail.
Then in 2016 she won the first prize of RM39,999 in the Star Search 999 Singing Competition, an event organised by the Sabah-Labuan Motion Picture Traders and Entertainment Association.

Performance and singing competitions

Apart from her television appearances in One in a Million, Esther has entered and won many singing competitions since she started performing in 1998, including the 2005 Sugandoi Kaamatan singing contest and the 2008 PERTISA Award for the most popular singer in Sabah in the women's category.
She has also been a member of several bands, including D'Illusions, and has performed in a number of venues in Kota Kinabalu, the state capital of Sabah.

Recordings

In December 2008, Esther auditioned for the third season of the reality TV singing competition One in a Million on 8TV, and reached the final of the competition. The following shows her progress through the competition:

Performances and results

Week #/DateSong choiceOriginal artistResult
1st Week – 20 February 2009Better in TimeLeona LewisImmunity/Top 12
2nd Week – 27 February 2009MengenangmuKerispatihTop 11
3rd Week – 6 March 2009I TryMacy GrayTop 10
4th Week – 13 March 2009Dialah Di HatiDatuk Siti NurhalizaTop 9
5th Week – 20 March 2009Won't Go Home Without YouMaroon 5Immunity/Top 8
6th Week – 27 March 2009I Don't Love YouMy Chemical RomanceTop 7
7th Week – 30 April 2009Sweet About MeGabriella CilmiTop 6
8th Week – 10 April 2009LegendaDatuk Sheila MajidTop 5
9th Week – 17 April 2009One Night Only
Keeps Gettin' Better
Semua Jadi Satu
Jennifer Hudson
Christina Aguilera
3 Diva
Top 4
Semi-final – 24 April 2009Better in Time
Won't Go Home Without You
Leona Lewis
Maroon 5
Top 3
Grand Finals – 1 May 2009Mengapai Mimpi
Please don't stop the Music
Esther Applunius
Rihanna		1st runner up

Anugerah Juara Carta Lagu Artis Sabah

In March 2011 she was the winner of the "Anugerah Juara Carta Lagu Artis Sabah" competition for her performance of the newly released song Selalu, taken from her second album. The competition, organised by Sabah Radio Television Malaysia, encourages performers not only to sing, but also to write their own songs; the winning song Selalu is Esther's first major success in musical composition.

Anugerah Juara Carta Lagu Artis Sabah

March 7, 2020. She again won the "Anugerah Juara Carta Lagu Artis Sabah" competition season 13 for her own song composition ALFIAN, she got champion, best vocal, and longest Running Song No.1 in Sabah FM, 42 Weeks