AFTER taking the local scene by storm, Mawi now wants a piece of the Asian action.

“It’s the Asia market now,” the Akademi Fantasia winner told Berita Harian.

Mawi said he would make Indonesia his first destination to introduce himself to the world.

Mawi won the Malaysian Artist of Choice award in the MTV Asia Awards 2006 held in Bangkok during the weekend.

“I am grateful for the victory, and my first step is Asia,” he said.

Mawi said he was surprised with the win as the competition was tough.

Other artists nominated were Too Phat, Ruffedge, Ahli Fiqir and Fish Leong.

“This award is the highest achievement for me so far after being selected the Most Popular Star in the Anugerah Bintang Popular Berita Harian,” he said.

Pop queen Siti Nurhaliza earlier won the award for four consecutive years.

And talking about popularity, Johor Baru MP Datuk Shahrir Samad joked that he had become more popular than Mawi and Siti Nurhaliza after his resignation as Barisan Backbenckers’ Club chairman.

“I did not expect the print and electronic media to give my resignation such a wide coverage, and daily.

“Now, I feel I am more popular than Mawi and Siti Nurhaliza,” he said when opening a meeting of an association of pensioners in Muar.

Shahrir said he received thousands of SMSes over his resignation.

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2006/5/9/nation/14183918&sec=nation