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Kigali, May 11, 2011 - During last Saturday’s launch event at the Kigali Serena Hotel (May 7, 2011); Bralirwa proudly announced, officially to the public and live on TVR & radio stations, the 10 contestants that will compete for the coveted prize to become the Primus Guma Guma Superstar! The 10 contestants are: Dre
am Boys; Dr. Claude; Urban Boys; J-Polly; Riderman; Rafiki; Mani Martin; Kitoko; King James and Tom Close
Guma Guma Contestants
Primus Guma Guma Superstar Contestants
The Primus Guma Guma Superstar competition is designed to bring together the best of Rwanda’s local artists and engage the whole nation in an exciting and energetic music journey. The winner of the competition THE PRIMUS GUMA GUMA SUPERSTAR 2011 will win 10 000 USD; perform live with Sean Kingston on July 30th and fly with the star to the USA to record a track and a music video – boosting his career to a higher level and giving his talent tremendous exposure. The 10 artists have been selected by a panel of 55 professional music journalists; producers and experts who have shortlisted the best local artists based on their performances. The selection was made respecting the following criteria: the artist shall be of Rwandan nationality; pursue his/her music career in Rwanda; be above 18 years old and have had music hits from 2008 till today. During the unveiling show at the Kigali Serena Hotel, the nominees were announced randomly, therefore in no order of preference or voting, by the expert panel. After just 48 hours of the unveiling of the 10 Primus Guma Guma Superstar contestants, it has been revealed, by his own personal choice, that Kitoko will no longer be a participant of the event. Therefore it is with pleasure that we announce that his vacant spot will be filled by Faycal. Furthermore, Miss Jojo and Shanel were amongst the top 10 artists initially selected, but unfortunately they both made the choice to not participate in the competition. Miss Jojo pulled out of the competition due to her religious beliefs. She commented that her religion forbids her from taking part, but wished she would have had been able to participate and possibly win the prestigious prize. Shanel has decided to pursue other professional activities taking place in Canada, during the PGGSS competition.
‘We deeply regret not having these 2 exceptional female Rwandan artists on board for this great competition, but we entirely respect their decisions which are motivated by personal choices”, commented Alexander Koch, Bralirwa’s Commercial Director. The competition is now open and each of the 10 contestants have expressed their willingness and commitment to the program throughout the upcoming 3 months of the competition. For complete transparency and fairness, each artist will be provided with the same support during the Primus Guma Guma Superstar competition, by either Bralirwa or the organizational team of EAP. Thereafter the 10 contestants’ fates are in the voting-hands of the Rwandan music-loving public. During the following 2 months of May and June, rehearsals and Road shows will be held across the country that will enable the artists to perform their “Superstar” qualities to the public, and achieve to their utmost exposure during the live competition. The first Primus Guma Guma SuperStar show performance event will take place on July 2nd whereby all 10 contestants will perform live and invite all Rwandans to vote for their favorite wannabe Superstar. The voting will be processed through SMS during the week following the event, and during that period each Rwandan will have one vote only to contribute to his/her favorite artist. On July 9th, the 7 best artists receiving the most votes will perform and compete again to demonstrate the best of their live talent. Thus, 3 artists are eliminated at this stage. On July 16th, following the same SMS voting process, another 3 artists will be eliminated and only the 4 best remaining contestants will perform and give their best to convince the public, once again. The Final event, whereby the Winner of the competition will be announced live, will take place on July 31st at Amahoro Stadium in front of thousands of fans, who will be delighted to watch Sean Kingston himself performing on stage.
