KUALA LUMPUR: Project Aloft Star promises a bigger and bolder competition this year - expanding the competition to Taiwan and South Korea.
A collaboration between global youth brand MTV and Starwood Hotels and Resorts' Aloft, the competition which is in its third year, will identify and support the hottest emerging music acts throughout nine markets -- China, Hong Kong, India, Macau, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand.
Last year, the competition drew more than 350 entries and over half a million public votes.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts senior brand director (Asia Pacific brand management) Vincent Ong said: “The Aloft brand has always set the stage for the hottest up-and-coming artistes, and over the past two years, Project Aloft Star, amplified by MTV has generated a tremendous response from musicians and fans, alike. We are excited to kick off our third edition, continuing our support of emerging talents by providing a platform to showcase their music to a larger audience.
“Additionally, we are thrilled to continue our partnership with MTV Asia, further fuelling our passion for live music, pop culture and design-led initiatives,” he said in a statement today.
Viacom International Media Networks vice president for MTV, Comedy Central and Paramount channel brands and digital media, Asia Paras Sharma expressed her delight to be partnering with Aloft yet again.
“We share Aloft’s like-minded vision of supporting up-and-coming artistes. The music scene in Asia is going from strength to strength and this collaboration enables us to continue providing vibrant and entertaining experiences to youths, by helping them discover the next generation of artistes.”
The competition is open to aspiring musicians from Greater China (China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan), Southeast Asia (Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand), India, and South Korea.
They may submit original songs – either through YouTube video links or SoundCloud audio links to the website at projectaloftstar.mtvasia.com before July 25.
Between September and October, shortlisted finalists will perform at the finals in front of a live audience and a panel of judges from MTV, Aloft and the music industry. One winner from each contest cluster will walk away with US$10,000 (RM40,000) as well as the chance to be featured on MTV platforms in Asia.
From July 29 to Aug 22, the public can vote for their favourite videos from curated entries on projectaloftstar.mtvasia.com
Voting fans in each cluster will stand the chance to win US$1,000 (RM4,000). Voting is open worldwide and the Top 5 entries per cluster will be determined by a combination of public votes and a panel of MTV judges.
GTXperiment (formerly known as Clinton and Ashley) from Malaysia, the winner of the Southeast Asia cluster in 2014, launched their debut album in August last year. Known for their stand-out beats fusing hip hop and pop, their singles Highdrated and Lost recently topped Hitz FM’s MET 10 Chart.