Rising Stars, Shine! Wong Tak Seng Makes a Comeback to Win the Championship—Mani Fok and Jess Lee See Potential in Pang Yijun

Astro talent show “Rising Stars, Shine!” held its grand finale with 8 contestants who battled their way to the ultimate stage, fully unleashing their talents amidst tension and excitement. After three intense rounds of competition, 25-year-old Wong Tak Seng made a stunning comeback at the critical moment, successfully clinching the overall championship. He also took home the STAR PICK award, making him the biggest winner of the night and ending the show on a climactic high note with his double honors.

This year’s finals featured an elimination format where scores reset after each stage, requiring contestants to take on three themed rounds: “My BGM”, “My Concert”, and “My Generation”. Any mistake in a single round could mean elimination. The top 8 included Liu Yixing, Pang Yijun, Yang Huiying, Yip Siao En, Wong Tak Seng, Siew Rujing, Lin Yuzhen, and Chen Zhixuan, each under pressure as they faced off amid the lights and music of the stage.

The first round, “My BGM,” ignited the battle as Pang Yijun wowed with a powerful singing and dancing performance to score 459 points and take an early lead. In “My Concert,” he maintained his stability with 462 points, again topping that stage. Entering the final round, “My Generation,” the three who made it to the final showdown were Pang Yijun, Lin Yuzhen, and the pre-final favorite Wong Tak Seng. In a critical reversal, Wong Tak Seng impressed the judges with “Beautiful Things,” earning the night’s highest recognition for his finale performance.

Afterwards, Wong Tak Seng admitted in an interview that the result was a surprise. Since he hadn’t led the previous rounds, he never expected to win, confessing, “I hadn’t even prepared an acceptance speech, and I still felt there were imperfections in my performance.” He shared that hearing the strong performances of other contestants backstage made him feel intense pressure—he kept thinking about how to break through, but listening to his family’s encouragement helped him decide to give it his all. Upon winning, his first thanks went to his supportive family and the show’s team for giving him this opportunity to grow.

Speaking about how the title will change his life, Wong Tak Seng admitted the honor was heavy and made him realize his every word and deed would now be scrutinized. “This is both a reminder and a warning. I’ll work on being more accepting of the world, because when you are willing to accept the world, the world will do the same for you.”

As for future plans, he happily shared he intends to use his prize money to produce his own single, turning his journey throughout the competition into a musical creation—a record of his growth from bluntness and perfectionism to learning to let go and reconcile with himself. Jokingly, he also shared hopes to collaborate with Pei Yong on a song cover someday, and has already picked out a song. When asked if he’ll “teach singing,” he humbly replied he’d just like to exchange experiences and take on some challenging pieces together.

That evening’s judges panel was star-studded, including Emperor (Beijing) Culture Development Co. Ltd. CEO and Emperor Entertainment Group COO Mani Fok, as well as Jess Lee, Kwan Chi Yuen, Lai Song Feng, and Yan Hui Ping. The panel unanimously agreed the results were fair. Mani Fok revealed she gave Wong Tak Seng her highest score in the final round; Jess Lee commented Wong Tak Seng stood out not only for his unique voice but also for his emotional delivery. Kwan Chi Yuen said that though she was emotionally more drawn to Lin Yuzhen, in terms of performance, Wong Tak Seng showed the most consistency and was almost flawless.

When asked which contestant impressed the judges most, Jess Lee singled out Pang Yijun, describing his strong stage presence, clear personal attitude, and distinctive style that is unforgettable. Mani Fok highly praised the overall standard of all 8 contestants, calling their transformation rapid: “Yesterday they were students, today they’re standing on a professional stage.” She also revealed she may look to collaborate with some of the contestants and help them onto even bigger stages in future.

If only one talent could be chosen for focused development, Mani Fok thinks Wong Tak Seng would be perfect for the Hong Kong market, as he's especially skilled at Cantonese songs and has a highly recognizable voice; at the same time, she’s also optimistic about Pang Yijun’s potential—asserting that his sense of the times and international outlook are worthy of being brought onto larger world stages.