By Olivia Miwil
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah-based Borneo ethnic fusion band Tompuvan has won The Best of Asia — Asian Folk award at the 2026 InterContinental Music Awards (ICMA) for their original song, "The Last Warrior".
"The Last Warrior" is rooted in Sabah's indigenous heritage and combines traditional Borneo sounds with contemporary music to explore survival, identity, heritage and unity.
It serves as a sonic bridge carrying the "Semengat" (Spirit) of ancestors into the modern world.
Tompuvan's Daniel Filex James said the acclaim was an achievement for the band.
"This recognition is a tremendous honour for us — not only as a music group from Sabah, but as artists committed to bringing the identity, heritage and traditional sounds of Borneo to the international stage."
Daniel co-wrote the song with Mohd Azmin Ibrahim.
Tompuvan also shared the award with Malaysian artist Elica Paujin, whose song "Oh Huminodun" was also among the five winners in the category.
The other winners were Aco Takenaka of Japan, Pooja Goswami Pavan of the United States, and Sharon Shobana Vasudevan of Singapore.
The 2026 winners were announced during the 14th Annual InterContinental Music Awards Online Awards Ceremony on Aug 23, which brought together artists and music professionals from around the world, with attendees representing 122 cities.
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