Iya performs for princess of Brunei

Brunei, Darusalam — Iya Villania flew to Brunei with her assistant Tricia Portillo and me to sing for the birthday of Her Royal Highness Princess Rashidah Sa’adatul Bolkiah, daughter of Brunei Sultany Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah, at the Istana Sports Club.

With mostly family members, the intimate barbecue dinner party was also attended by the Crown Prince HRH Al-Muhtadee Billah (successor to the Sultan) and his wife HRH Princess Sarah. Also present were the husband of Princess Rashidah, HRH Yang Amat Mulia and the sultan’s other younger son, HRH Prince Malik.

“I am so overwhelmed with this experience. This is the first time I’ve come face to face with real prince and princesses. They treated us so well. I had so much fun and they are genuinely nice people. I will never ever forget this weekend I had with the royal family for the rest of my life.” says Iya.

Iya’s rendition of Love Song, Bad Romance, Love Story, Money Honey, Smile and Last Dance was warmly received. The evening’s program also had group numbers by the children of the royal families. Other invited celebrities were two popular film actors from Indonesia — Joshua and Dimas, who sang famous Bahasa songs.

Iya enjoyed a short tour around the city with members and friends of the royal family at the Empire Hotel, the famous Water Village and some of the malls and mosques.