Keanne Lee set the bar high for others.Keanne Lee from Maryknoll Convent School was named the champion of this year's Supernova, an annual singing competition for students.
Of the 500 entries, just 24 made it to the semi-finals last month, and 12 were selected to compete at the finals held on Wednesday at the Queen Elizabeth Stadium in Wan Chai.
Local band Zpecial opened the show, followed by a lively group performance of Meghan Trainor's All About That Bass by all of the finalists.
Keanne was the first contestant to perform. Her cover of Adele's Rolling in The Deep set the bar high for the subsequent acts and secured her spot as one of the top five contestants, who went on to sing a second song to determine their placing. She gave a flawless and powerful rendition of Lady Gaga's Speechless for her second act.
The 18-year-old is grateful for her family's support and has some advice for those who are interested in taking part in next year's Supernova.
"Go busking quite regularly to help you get used to large audiences. This will help you be less nervous on stage," said the Supernova 2015 champion. "Also, you can practise your songs when you busk, which can help you decide which ones work best for you."
Duo Carrie Chan and Sammi Tse from Diocesan Girls' School were the first runners-up, while St Paul's College graduate Justin Yau was the second runner-up.
Guest performers Pakho Chau, Supper Moment and C AllStar all got the crowd on their feet with their energetic performances. The crowd cried for an encore from Supper Moment but the Canto-pop band did not oblige.
The judges, however, were not as keen as the audience to keep the celebrations going, and they declined to comment on the finalists' performances.