Maldivian band "2ofUs" wins third place in Battle of Bands International

Maldivian band "2ofUs" has secured third place in the Indian reality music show Battle of Bands International.

In the semi-finals, vocalists Ahmed Adhuham and Mohamed Nasooh bin Nasruddhin performed "Eheree Dhivehi Nishaan", transitioning into its original Hindi version. They followed it with "Jeena Yahaan, Marna Yahaan", a classic from the 1970 Bollywood film "Mera Naam Joker".

Indian music composer and judge Saleem Merchant praised the group’s performance, remarking that it was so moving he “didn’t want to hear anything else for a while”.

The band also received glowing reviews from other judges and audience members throughout the competition.

The first prize went to a band from Mauritius, while a Sri Lankan group took second place.

"Battle of Bands" is a music competition broadcast by Indian State TV Doordarshan. While the last three years of the show featured only Indian bands, this year's show welcomed foreign bands to perform, with 2ofUs representing Maldives.

In addition to Adham and Nasooh, the band comprises Abdulla Shamrooh, Ahmed Jashim and renowned guitarist Ahmed Shaheed, also known as Shaheed Legacy.

Bands from Mauritius, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Singapore, Russia, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Spain and the UK also participated in this year's contest.