THE RWF50 MILLION cash prize will now go to one of the six contestants who on Wednesday, December 16, progressed to the finals of the inaugural ‘The Next Popstar’ music contest. Organised by More Events, a local events management company, the new music contest 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 six finalists, including four males and two females, were selected from 20 contestants based on public votes and points accumulated from a panel of judges made up of celebrated MC Lion Imanzi, Showbiz presenter Tidjara Kabendera and producer Zizou Alpacino following week-long live performances that concluded last week at Kigali Arena. The finalists include Jackson Cyiza, Gisa Cy’Inganzo, Yannick Gashiramanga, Ish Kevin, Honorine Irakoze Hirwa, and Jasmine Kibatega. The six finalists are expected to undergo a seven-day boot camp slated for December 18-24, at Hotel Villa Portofino, Nyarutarama. During boot camp, they will have rehearsal sessions for live performances while a team of music professionals is also expected to offer them training on vocals to prepare them for the grand finale. The winner of the contest will be announced during the grand finale gala night slated to be aired live on KC2 on December 26, and will walk away with a whopping Rwf10 million 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 Next Popstar contest is a partnership with Network Showbiz (NSB), an American company, Sony Music, through their label SM1 Music Group and Second Nature Films seeking to support artistes and help their music distribution across the globe.
