Mirror Magazine

Mirror Magazine

YES FM Radio Super Star is back
By Ishani Ranasinghe
Last September, Sri-Lanka’s no.1 hit music station embarked on a quest to discover the raw singing talent hidden in Sri Lanka. YES FM Radio Super Star was an event with a difference. The first of its kind, Radio Super Star put the contestants’ fate in the hands of the Sri Lankan public for the first time in Sri Lankan history.

This year YES FM Radio Super Star is back, with a bigger show. This time, they are not only out to discover solo singers, but are also giving a platform for duos and/or groups to perform, and hand their fate to YES FM listeners. This year, YES FM ties up with the revamped Channel 1 MTV, and gives an opportunity for TV viewers to get in on the act during the elimination round, and make their vote count.

Themed on the popular Idol franchise which is taking the world by storm, YES FM Radio Super Star, is an all out radio talent show. The initial auditions are at the moment being held in the major cities of Colombo, Kandy, Galle and Negombo. At this point the contestants will be required to sing without a backing track or any musical accompaniment. Each contestant will be required to sing before a recording camera. A panel of judges will filter the footage of all four cities. The judges for YES FM Radio Super Star are three of the most accomplished members in the music industry in Sri Lanka; namely, Aruna Siriwardhana, Mignone Fernando, and Rajitha of Misty.

With the Colombo and Galle auditions concluded last week it seems that there have been more people interested in becoming a super star this time around. The number of people who had come into audition had been so much that the organisers’ feel that they might have to have another round of Colombo auditions so that no one feels left out. This time around, even the age group has been brought down to fifteen years giving the chance to a wider group of people.

Once the auditions are done with and the judges have made their decisions, the final thirty of the soloist category and the final twenty of the duo/group category will be given a list of songs. Each participant/group will have to choose five songs from the list to perform. It’s these songs which they select that they will sing during the period of the promotion, up to the finals if they qualify.

The Finals of YES FM Radio Super Star is billed as the biggest talent search through radio in Sri Lanka. The search is done completely through listener and viewer votes. The five soloists will sing their hearts out for the cash prize of Rs.200,000/- and the duo/groups will vie for a cash prize of Rs.100,000 per member in the group.

Once again, the final show will see the surviving five soloists, and five duos or groups perform before a live audience among the glitz and the glamour, and await the results of the ultimate Radio Super Star, 2005.

The entire show has been mapped out to be another mega event, and going by the popularity of the first show, this year’s Radio Super Star which is to be held on November 6, has certainly got the ingredients to soar higher, and linger further in the minds of Sri Lankans.

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