FOLLOWING ‘THE NEXT POP STAR’ contest (TNP) grand finale, the winner Jasmine Kibatega and the first runner up Ish Kevin won different prizes including a two-week trip to the United States in June. They were supposed to be given detailed information about the contract they signed with the contest sponsors alongside a tour of the production headquarters of SONY Music and SM1. However, none of the mentioned prizes have run up to date. The winners were informed that the postponement was caused by pandemic which has stalled progress of different sectors in the country, including visa applications, according to Ish Kevin the first runner up of the competition. “I received a call from the organisers in June and I was informed that they applied for the visa. However, the process got delayed by continuous lockdowns and other reasons related to the pandemic,” he said. In July the organisers told Ish Kevin that the process of the trip might resume in September this year. In a separate interview with The New Times, Christian Dushime, one of the contest organisers explained more about the delay of the trip. “The trip to the USA got delayed due to the fact that the embassy has been only providing special visas and they are yet to open their usual visa services,” said Dushime. “We are still consulting with our partners in order to fix an appropriate date for the trip, depending on the evolution of the pandemic,” he added. Asked about their plans to launch the second season ‘The Next Pop Star’ contest, Christian said that the time to launch it is still being discussed, “We are still chatting with relative partners and sponsors to come up with the best time to launch TNP season two. This is because the first season which was scheduled to end in December last year was postponed and the finale took place in March 2021. “This delay somehow disrupted our programs for season two but dates for the launch will be announced as soon as possible” he said. Organised by More Events, The Next Pop Star 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. Some of the participants of the first season include Gisa Cyinganzo, Kenny Kshot, Honorine Irakoze and Yannick Gashiramanga.
