MTN hit-maker 2013 launched

MTN, the biggest telecommunications company in Ghana, is happy to announce the take-off of the second edition of the MTN Hit-Maker music talent search, a project open to up-and- coming musicians with unique styles and who can compose and perform their own music.

Introduced last year, the MTN Hit-Maker show aims at identifying, grooming and supporting young aspiring artistes to record their own music and turning them into stars.

The first season was a huge success and everyone saw the wonderful, transformed talents on television for several weeks before the final showdown at the Accra International Conference Centre where Shadrach Adjei alias Naterial beat Miriam, Chiki and Atimbilla to claim the first prize.

Miriam placed second. Naterial and her have since recorded their debut albums titled Mamle and My Testimony respectively.

The Hitmaker initiative is championed by MTN and supported by the MTN Ghana Foundation under the auspices of the Youth Empowerment Program in partnership with the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA).

This year, the contest is looking for the artiste who can ‘Move The Nation.’

More than 1,500 demos were entered in last year’s contest but only 12 contestants got the opportunity to enter the Hit-Maker House to be coached by three well-respected Ghanaian musicians.

They were coached by keyboardist Bessa Simmons of Osibisa fame; international soul-jazz performer Ofie Kodjoe and acclaimed producer/recording engineer, Zapp Mallet.

Some new aspects have been introduced to this year’s MTN Hit-Maker competition. Apart from dropping their demos at MTN service centers across the country, contestants can also be part of a nationwide radio selection process.

In this process, wannabe musicians would go to selected radio stations to sing their songs. Listeners would then be entreated to call or text to vote their favorites. Finalists would be invited back to the stations to sing on their instrumentals for the public to vote again.

The regional winners would be invited to Accra to vie for a place in the final 10 against contestants selected through demo drops.

The 10 selected finalists would be housed and taken through rigorous training sessions and music production processes. At this stage, television shows would be organized for the contestants to perform their songs. Contestants with least public votes would be evicted till only four contestants remain.

A grand final showdown would be organized for the last four to perform alongside established artistes.

The MTN Hit-Maker season two has a prize package of a recording and artiste management deal worth GHC100, 000.00 for the winner and GHC 50, 000.00 for the first runner-up. The third and fourth-placed winners will also receive some handsome prizes.

MTN Hit-Maker will also reward the sound engineer with the Best Beat on the show and weekly prizes for Best Performer, Best Appearance, Highest ‘Texters’ and more.

Ivan Quashigah’s Farmhouse company will produce the MTN Hit-Maker again this year.