Ameyaw Debrah, AfricaNews reporter in Accra, Ghana
Fifteen young and talented contestants have been selected into the Project Fame Academy in Lagos, where they will go through grooming and training for a long lasting career in music. Their selection came after several rounds of auditions across Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone and Liberia.
This is the West African edition of the global Star Academy phenomenon, which has been a worldwide, hit with competitions in England, Spain, Italy, Russia and many other countries. The show that discovered some of the world’s biggest talents such as UK’s R&B sensation Lemar, made a remarkable impact on Africa when she hosted the pan-African version, Project Fame. Held in Johannesburg, South Africa from June to August 2004, the show had 16 African contestants - 9 of which were South African. The contestants were groomed for stardom, with the weakest being eliminated on a weekly basis. The top three received record deals and the winner got a lot more prizes.
Wish
Zambia’s Lindiwe Alam won the competition with Jonathan Ross (South Africa) and Dare Art Alade (Nigeria) coming second and third respectively. Although I haven’t heard much from Lindiwe since she won the contest, she had a wonderful voice and deserved to win. But I wish that Dare would have won or at least come second but we can’t have everything we wish for. An East African version called Tusker Project Fame also aired from October 1st to December 17 2006.
Project Fame West Africa was officially opened Sunday September 28 and it already promises to be an exciting competition. The15 lucky contestants would be housed in the Project Fame Academy for a period of three months. There, they would receive voice, dance and performance training by experts in these fields on what it takes to become a top rated music icon. The 15 would also be given the opportunity to meet their favourite stars who would be conducting exclusive master- classes while sharing their wisdom and tips for success.
The ultimate winner would take home exciting prize packages including an international recording contract, a 2008 Toyota Rav4 Jeep and a sum of N2.5 million (USD 21,257). The first runner-up wins a Toyota Corolla 2008 series, and the sum of N1.5 million (USD 12,753) while the second runner-up smiles home with a Toyota Yaris and the sum of N1 million (USD 8,505).
The talent discovery reality show is being sponsored by MTN with support from Endemol and Ultima.
