Over the weekend, leading ICT company, MTN Nigeria announced the start of a new musical reality television show, ‘Y’ello Star’.
The show is coming on the heels of the ‘Turn it Up’ campaign that encourages the spirit of entrepreneurship and passion.
Unlike its flagship music reality show ‘Project Fame’, ‘Y’ello Star’ will be social media driven. It will involve participants applying for a spot in the competition through the telecom’s mobile app and is open to everyone.
Currently, regional auditions are holding in Abuja, Enugu and Lagos. Finalists from the auditions will proceed to the ‘incubation hub’ in Lagos, where they will be coached by experts in the music industry in several areas as they aim for the top prize.
Also, the company will be rewarding the winner of the competition with an apartment with which a room would be specifically furnished with state-of-the-art musical and recording equipment to enhance his or her career.
According to the General Manager, Consumer Marketing, MTN Nigeria, Richard Iweanoge, the focus of the show is not to give away cash prizes but help the talents to excel in their musical pursuits.
Iweanoge expressed optimism that the show will be a success. He revealed that barely 24 hours to the official announcement, that they have received over 45 applications online. This he said is a testament to Nigeria’s growing interest in music.
“10 years ago when we carried out a survey, we found out that Nigerians love music,” he says, “The findings we got then are still the same with the one we got from our research recently.”
He went on to list how MTN has been a major player in the music industry through various platforms such as the MTN Foundation and MUSON Scholarship Programme, which has trained hundreds of young Nigerians in the art and business of music. Y’ello Star takes this further by bringing the process of creating the ultimate superstar to every Nigerian television screen. The show generally seeks to groom musical talent by providing a lifetime opportunity to turn their dreams and aspirations into reality. There are also entertainment platforms created by the company such as Music+, MTN Y’ello Top 10 and the recently launched music-streaming platform, Music Time.
Also speaking at the event that was attended by celebrities and MTN ambassadors like actress Nse Ikpe-Etim, comedian Emmanuel ‘Nedu’ Ani and Chidinma Ekile, was the Chief Marketing Officer, MTN Nigeria, Rahul De who stated that “We know that there are a lot of talented people in Nigeria who need to turn up their musical careers. This platform will help launch them to musical heights. We have a wealth of experience in supporting Nigerian talent and are confident we can improve on our past successes.”
‘Y’ello Star’ will run until June 2020.
