Aspirant musicians who want to enrol for season five of the ‘Last Ma/Gaisa Star’ competition have only until this Sunday, 1 March to submit their entries.
This reminder comes from Stella !Naruses from host company SAN Welwitschia Music Productions (WMP), who says this is the final call for those artists who want to be part of what has become the country’s premier music talent search competition.
“Entry for the first phase is simple: All the applicants must do is to take a landscape video of them singing any ma/gaisa song of their choice. Just make sure the video must not be more than two minutes,” she says.
“Applicants must submit their videos without musical accompaniment (a cappella). Please make sure all the vocals are those of the entry participants only. WhatsApp the video to the following number +264 81 707 6838 or send an email to nextmagaisastar@gmail.com.”
Entries are free, but only Namibian citizens aged 18 and above are eligible.
“The Next Ma /Gaisa Star’ is back for its fifth edition, continuing to celebrate and elevate one of Namibia’s most vibrant traditional music genres,” !Naruses says.
“This is Namibia’s premier cultural talent search. The competition is dedicated to discovering and nurturing the next generation of ma /gaisa music,” she says.
Season four saw Okahandja-born Sylvia Haoses scooping the grand prize.
The talented singer delivered a powerful performance filled with vibrant choreography alongside her back-up dancers, shaking the National Theatre of Namibia Backstage audience to life to push her closest rivals Michael Haneb and Yolandi van Niekerk into second and third place.
Apart from the lucrative cash prize, the competition also offers a priceless recording deal for the overall winner, sponsored by the organisers.
The competition is hosted by SAN Welwitschia Music Productions, in partnership with the NTN, the National Arts Council and the Namibian Ports Authority, with an annual sponsorship of N$500 000 over three years.
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