THE second edition of Primus Guma Guma Superstar (PGGSS) music competition kicks off on Friday, February 3, with a gala show bringing together music lovers, organisers and contestants at Kigali Serena Hotel. 

Once more, Bralirwa Ltd, through its flagship brand Primus, and East African Promoters are the organisers and sponsors of Primus Guma Guma Superstar competition.

Music lovers are in for yet another set of exciting performances and entertainment. Millions of viewers all over the country will be able to follow the show on television, Facebook and Twitter.

This year, 10 aspirants must prove their prowess to the public with the ultimate winner expected to walk away with a grand prize, in additional to a recording deal and promotion of a new album.

The grand finale is slated for July 28, at Amahoro Stadium and it will be graced by an international musician.

Recently, music professionals selected 20 artistes and subsequently 10 among them will be designated by the public through SMS and Internet voting.

"Primus is inviting its entire fan base in this wonderful journey,” asserted Jan van Velzen, Bralirwa’s Commercial Director. "The second edition of Primus Guma Guma Superstar will be bigger, better and funnier,” he promised.

"This season will be totally different from the first edition, because the voting of the 10 contestants will be done by Rwandese people themselves in different categories. And 10 finalists will participate in corporate social responsibility activities, including visiting memorial sites.”

The contestants will also participate in community activities such as Umuganda, visiting orphans, involvement in the anti-Nyakatsi programme and a soccer game between the aspirants and the media.

Velzen noted that objective of the competition is to entertain and engage their consumers.

In an interview with The New Times, Samuel Kariuki, Manager of PricewaterhouseCoopers, an auditing firm, said that the organisers have no influence on the results. 

"We are very independent of management and sponsors of the programme, which means that independency ensures that whatever we are doing is to safeguard the public trust,” Samuel Kariuki, Manager of PricewaterhouseCoopers, said.

"That is done in two ways; to ensure the integrity of the systems. So we do the test that will ensure the integrity of the systems, but importantly ensure that whatever is announced by the sponsors reflects the actual voting,” he added.

He noted that: "The organisers and sponsors have no influence at all on the results. We give the audit and we give it very independently and it is done within certain international standards. And those standards ensure that whatever comes out reflects very independent and very objective outcome.”

Road shows countrywide will begin on May 5, accompanied by television shows from then until June 23.

About Primus Guma Guma Superstar

Primus Guma Guma Superstar is a music contest which brings together Rwandan professional music stars competing to become a Primus Guma Guma Super Star.

The first edition took place in 2011 and the winner was R&B singer Tom Close, an aspiring medical doctor from the National University of Rwanda.

In the second session, producers, journalists, DJs, professional musicians in the Rwandan music industry designated four names in each category that include R&B, Hip-hop, Afrobeat, Female and Group.