After a two-months hiatus, organisers of the next popstar have resumed the search for the best performing artists who will win the inaugural edition of the music contest. Organised by More Events, a local events management company, The Next Popstar is a 10-year project that seeks to unearth the most talented artistes in Rwanda, with a target of elevating local musical talent to the international stage through music distribution via different international music platforms. The contest is a partnership with Network Showbiz (NSB), an American company, Sony Music, through their label SM1 Music Group and Second Nature Films. The music contest was postponed in December last year following the ‘upsurge in COVID-19 cases at a time when contestants had just progressed to the boot camp and were preparing for the grand finale, which was originally scheduled on December 26. The decision has been taken considering some of the activities that were scheduled for the boot camp, such as live performance training, dancing and acting classes involving gatherings were likely to expose the contestants to getting or spreading the virus. “I take this opportunity to tell the contestants that we are in this together. I am aware that the contest didn’t go down as planned due to Covid-19 but don’t give up, prepare well for the final stage as we look forward to the resumption of the contest,” said Hemdee David, the CEO of Network Showbiz (NSB). As the contest resumes, six finalists, namely Jackson Cyiza, Gisa Cy’Inganzo, Yannick Gashiramanga, Ish Kevin, Honorine Irakoze Hirwa, and Jasmine Kibatega, all have their eyes set on winning the competition. One of the contest organisers, Christian Dushime told The New Times that contestants returned to stage over the weekend and each headlined a performance which was later aired on KC2 on Sunday, February 21. The performance was a reminder for the public to also show their support to the contest finalists when voting session resumes. The winners of The Next Popstar will be announced during the grand finale slated for March 14, live on KC2. Each contestant will do a live performance from which the top two will be announced in reference to a yet-to-be-confirmed panel of judges (70 per cent), while public voting (30 per cent) will also be put into consideration. “We are planning to have judges during the grand finale but we will also take people’s votes into account,” said Dickson Muhirwa, the media officer of The Next Popstar. The overall winner will walk away with a whopping Rwf10 million in cash, while the rest of the money will be spent on production of his/her songs at either local or foreign music studios. The first runner-up will also get a distribution deal from SM1 Music which will help him/her distribute and sell his/her music globally. The two will also travel to the United States for a three-week visit during which they will be given detailed information about the contract they will sign with the contest sponsors. They will also have a tour of the production headquarters of SONY Music and SM1.
