Georgians have been invited to take part by voting for their favourite singer via SMS. The idea of creating a competition to put young artists on the map in George, is the brainchild of JA Entertainment, who has arranged with Eden FM Radio station to feature contestants by playing their music. Contestants will be interviewed every Friday from 14:00 to 15:00.
"We will be playing the contestants' music from 06:00 until 18:00 in the evenings said Eden FM's Technical Manager - Jason Stanley. The JA George Top 40 Artists Competition is being held in cooperation with the Eden District Municipality and Eden FM.
The George Top 40 contestants have already been whittled down to 25 finalists who are vying for the winning accolade.
How the competition works
"Voting commenced the day the artists received their codes which was on 25 June," said JA Entertainers' Jonique Claasens explaining the rules. "They received codes from 4001 to 4025 that must be SMSed to 39062. It is also up to the artists to let people know about the competition and ask them to vote for them. Each week, after commencement of the broadcasting of the competition on air, five artists will be eliminated because of their number of votes. Thus it is of utmost importance that they market themselves.
"To further showcase their talent - artists will be giving live performances in outdoor venues (see the schedule elsewhere), said Jonique . "In this way, communities will know who they are voting for," said Frankie Togba who makes up the other half of JA Entertainment.
The prizes will be as follows:
1st prize: Dehai (an artist from Holland) will be taking the winner with him to Amsterdam, to record there and also perform with him. The grand finale of the competition will take place on 31 August. "Dehai, together with sponsors, will pay for the winner's trip to Amsterdam. The winner will also receive a promotional and marketing contract with JA Entertainment, as well as a music video.
2nd prize: the recipient will receive a promotional and marketing contract with JA Entertainment, and free time in the studio to record his/her album as well as voice coaching. This contract ensures the artist, that he/she will be performing at all the top events in George.
3rd prize: the recipient will receive free time in the studio, voice coaching and JA Entertainment promotional gifts.
All the other artists who made it to the finals, will receive voice coaching and the chance to also perform at the events throughout George.
Who is JA?
JA Entertainment started when Liberian born artist Frankie Togba and Jonique Claasen became friends. Frankie needed logistic and administrative help in his music career and Jonique decided to give a helping hand. From this point, Frankie and Jonique's friendship and work relationship grew, planting a seed for a dream - to put George on the entertainment map in South Africa.
Frankie and Jonique both have a passion for their community as well as the music business. "The competition is proof of how our dreams are being realised," said the two this week. Jonique has been working with youth through her work in the social development sector, and Frankie has been giving back to the community every chance he has. By combining forces, JA Entertainment was born.
*Tickets for the grand finale will become available by phoning Jonique at 073 311 8343 or by e-mailing her at jaentertainment25@gmail.com
Meet the top 25 George artists in the JA Entertainment’s George Top Artists Competition.
Performance schedule for the George Top 40 talent competition.
