Pressure seems to be mounting within the pop star competition and its not getting any easier. The competition has proved to be popular amongst Batswana, especially the youth, who half-filled the BTV auditorium on Friday night. They came in droves to support their stars as they battled it out on stage for the grand prize of a marketing and distribution deal with EMI, the UK’s biggest recording company.
The competition has been running for the past 4 months and now, out of an initial 21 trialists, only seven contestants are left. A contestant is evicted each week, depending on the number of votes and this week has seen Kitso being the latest evictee from the competition. However, Kitso did not leave empty-handed as the sponsors of the competition, Mascom, handed over to him a cheque of P600 and a hamper.
Though the quality of the sound and general presentation of the event need much improvement, there is a lot of talent in Botswana. All these aspiring musicians need is a little bit of nurturing from professionals who have experience in the field.
“This competition has really opened doors for me and I am more that happy to be involved with such a great bunch of talented people,” said Smarh, the velvety, baritone and extremely talented young man who has proved to be a favourite with the audience, especially after the touching lyrics he belted out on this week’s task song. “I take each and every one of them very seriously, amidst the fact that I have been in the music industry for the past three years.”
Smarh is a sign of pure, authentic creativity and I have no doubt that he will be in this competition for quiet some time. However, Eunice has yet again proved why she belongs at the bottom of this competition. I could hardly hear her words as she struggled through the songs, clearly indicating that her time may soon be up. Thandie, who is known as the “Rock Star”, has made a massive come back as she appeared to be getting in the mood of the competition. She seems to be more in control and even her dress code has appealed to many, amongst them Dj Sid, the judge who has been termed as the “Simon Cowell” of this competition.
“What these contestants are giving us is raw talent with no supervision or any form of special training,” said Sid. “And with the kind of talent that we have, the winner is bound to make it big.”
