Coca Cola rated next: The journey so far

By Nigel Nassar

Sing It! That is its tagline. And indeed, the Coca-Cola Rated Next singing competition, running in conjunction with Vision Group’s Urban TV, has over the last four months, rounded up singing talent in Uganda, with hopefuls outdoing themselves to sing it. The incentive? A sh50m jackpot, a recording contract with Fenon Records, name it.

But away from getting a bunch of singing chaps on TV for a cash prize and careerbuilding contract, what exactly was the motivation behind this contest, which has taken over local television viewing by storm?

What has the journey been like so far, right from where the search started, all the way to where it is today? Where is the search going? As the contest nears its finale, which will take place on May 5 at Wonderworld in Kansanga, we make reflections on everything Rated Next.

THE JOURNEY SO FAR

It all started in the West Nile district of Arua three months ago, with the area’s dwellers from all walks of life braving the sunny Wednesday January 16, just to put in a singing performance that would perhaps impress the judges: X FM show host and flutist Siima Sabiti, screen writer/director and founding member of First Love Sharpe Ssewali, and renowned multi-award-winning local artiste Maurice Kirya – a musically entrenched ensemble that has now traversed the entire country in a set-a-thief-to-catch-a-thief judging scenario.true

These judges, accompanied by a search team, including production people, press, events managers and other stakeholders, have, over the last three months, made other stopovers in Gulu, Lira, Fort Portal, Mbarara, Masaka, Mbale, Jinja and Kampala districts.

MOTIVATION BEHIND ‘RATED NEXT’

You are probably aware the brand Rated Next is gracing your television for the second time, screening off Urban TV. Season One, which ran last year under the tagline The Presenter, looked out for television presentation talent.

As you read this, up to nine contestants from this season are on lucrative contracts across the various Vision Group media platforms, including television, radio, newspapers and magazines.
 

Other hopefuls are employed in media elsewhere after Rated Next The Presenter discovered them. But it was the winner, Charlie Denzel  Mwiyeretsi, who walked away with the most lucrative contract.

Speaking of Charlie, he is that natural you now see     hosting Rated Next Season Two – Sing It.

And from its countrywide search for singing talent, Uganda has suddenly been stampeded by a crop of singers not many of us even knew existed, a good bunch of them with church background.

“Clearly, the search for talent was our main  motivation in coming up with Rated Next,” says Susan Nsibirwa, Vision Group’s head of marketing.  “These two seasons of Rated Next have proved just how much  amazing talent there is out there.

Look how amazingly Charlie hosts Sing It — he does not even use a script. And with Coca-Cola throwing in a sh50m incentive, Season Two is hitting unprecedented levels with singing talent, and we, along with Coca-Cola, are jointly proud to be the ones discovering that talent,” adds Nsibirwa.

Coca-Cola’s motivation in supporting Ugandan talent in music is a streak you can trace as far back as 2003, when the beverage company threw its weight behind the singing contest, Coca-Cola Real Stars.

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Coca-Cola’s Ssemanda (checkered shirt) poses with the top 10 contestants

The contest, which brought onto the music scene a fast-rising R&B star in the  name of winner Kefa Mwesigwa (RIP), also discovered today’s known singers: Sarah Zawedde, who came fourth, and Cinderella Sanyu aka Cindy, who came second, among others.

Cindy, now one of the country’s most sought-after artistes, was to bounce back in 2004, in another Coca-Cola-sponsored, East Africa-encompassing contest, dubbed Coca-Cola Pop Stars. This is the contest that gave birth to, among others, winner Blu*3, an all- girl Ugandan outfi t comprising Cindy, Lilian Mbabazi and Jackie Chandiru, each of whom is now a solo act and big star in their own right, yet their musical exploits as a trio traversed the entire world.

“You can clearly see how entrenched we are in the business of supporting talent. Rated Next Sing It, which Coca-Cola also happens to share a target audience with, is just another of those we are proud to associate with.

And Vision Group’s extensive media reach has made it even better and easier by giving the contest the prominence and presence it deserves,” says Brandon Ssemanda, the Coca- Cola Uganda brand manager.

Away from the talent search motivation, Rated Next Sing It also came on board as a celebration of Uganda in music, with the country’s golden jubilee celebrations last year at the forefront. And from the way the contest is panning out so far, this musical celebration of Uganda@50 is worth every sweat the stakeholders are breaking.

OVER 5,000 HOPEFULS AT AUDITIONS

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Some of the contestants dancing at Akii Bua Stadium in Lira district

Using a fine-toothed comb to sieve the over 5,000 people who made it for auditions across the country, the judges selected 125 contestants for the competition. And following various themed sing-offs, this number would get trimmed in different phases until the top 10 level, the ones who made it to a residential training boot camp at Ndere Centre. The centre, a serene cultural establishment in Kisaasi, is just the kind of backdrop the top 10 needed to fine-tune their craft.

VOCAL DRILLS AND PAMPERING AT BOOT CAMP

Over the last four weeks, the top 10 have enjoyed top-notch living in their quarters at the residential boot camp, while going through a series of activities, a stay live band in tow to help with their singing. From all sorts of vocal drills down to performance elements like stage presence; from lifestyle lectures on grooming, make-up, socialisation, all the way to pep-talk on life, success, showbiz and the entertainment world, the top 10 have had it all. They have not worried about a thing apart from perfecting their singing.

“They have not had to look for publicity, as the various Vision Group platforms have taken care of that. They have not worried about a meal or salon, as all has been on the house. Coca-Cola, just the other day, pampered them with custom-made Beats by Dr. Dre headphones.

Judith Heard’s boutique at Forest Mall has done an amazing job dressing up the ladies (including the lady judge), while Abrayanz Collections on Prime Complex have outdone themselves to dress up the guys (including the male judges). Basically, it has been an experience to write home about for the top 10, including the three who were evicted last week,” says Nsibirwa.

And speaking of eviction, two of the remaining seven will get evicted in tonight’s live recording at Ndere Centre, for the show you will watch on Urban TV on Sunday at 7:00pm. Thereafter, there will be one more eviction until the fi nal three, who will sing live in a heavily-contested fi nale night at Wonderworld come May 5.

THE PRIZE

By voting, you give your favourite a chance at bagging the staked sh50m jackpot, an iPad and a career-building recording contract, which, according to Brandon Ssemanda, the Coca-Cola Uganda brand manager, should actually be the bigger deal, not the money.

“See, if you walked to a car bond with sh50m right now, you would come back broke. So, much as we are proud to enable the winner financially, we also appreciate the fact that money can be squandered, which is why we give them a supplementary recording contract with one of the best production houses in Uganda, Fenon Records. Now that can build a career in music, especially if you are serious about it,” says Ssemanda.

He adds that the first and second runners-up will take home sh3m and sh2m respectively, plus an iPad each. “We have also put in place a streamlined monitoring process to make sure the recording contract is well implemented, and we shall also make sure our winner gets exposure by having them perform at all Coca-Cola events.

Together with Vision Group, which will be giving the winner publicity up to a given point in time, the future should be bright for them really, unless they are playing about, which I doubt because the talent I have seen in those contestants is immense.”

But like Susan Nsibirwa, Vision Group’s head of marketing, put it, the runners of this contest can only do so much, as everything else falls directly on the shoulders of the contestant. “Whether the winner and other contestants go on and conquer the world or not is entirely up to them.

After May 5, they are not going to have anyone pushing them like it is in boot camp. That will be the time to face the real world, the time to separate jokers from real doers.”