Romeo Tan, Julie Tan among new faces in SA2013 Top 40

It’s time once again for us to unveil 2013's 40 hopefuls for the Star Awards Top 20 Most Popular artistes. This year, there are a total of nine changes to the 2012 lineup. These new names comprise of both fresh talents making their first appearance, as well as industry veterans making a comeback.

Just like last year, the Top 20 Most Popular Artistes will be selected from 50% telepoll voting and 50% online voting, instead of like the old days when it was based on 50% telepoll voting and 50% survey results. This makes it much easier for voters to ensure that their favoured few make it into the coveted list.

Hot new favourite Romeo Tan, quite expectedly, snags his first Top 20 Most Popular Male Artistes nomination. Although it’s only been two years since his official debut, the 27-year-old has won many hearts with his charm, as well as his impressive performances in critically acclaimed dramas such as Joys of Life and Don’t Stop Believin’.

Two more newcomers in the men’s category are popular Taiwanese-born host Ethen Lee Teng and Malaysian-born actor Yao Wen Long. Renowned actor Thomas Ong is also back in the game over a decade since his last Top 10 win in 1999, as the actor’s new contract with MediaCorp makes him eligible to be in the running again.

Familiar favourites from the 2012 lineup include Dai Yang Tian, Qi Yu Wu, Pornsak and Pierre Png.