StarBrite semi-finals 2015 rehearsals took place at Church on the Hill (COTH) from 26 – 30 October 2015 in the capital.
The music director Mr. Pardon Mutsago was present to assist the contestants with help of the StarBrite band. The contestants were expected to have 2 performances, the first one with the full band and the second one in an acoustic setup. Both performances required to prepare the artists not only for the semis but building a solid foundation. Several assignments were designed to challenge the finalists and expose them to the modern day demands of the industry. Mr Mutsago highlighted on issues of marketing one’s music as he said “It is not enough to be good on the stage or on your music alone, you need to have audiences who will listen to your music”. He mentioned a few social media platforms which the contestants can use to market themselves e.g facebook, twitter, YouTube and whatsapp.
The finalists were put in different groups depending on their region. Group one Harare contestants were given 2 days to rehears and those from out of town rehearsed on Wednesday and Thursday with everyone meeting on Friday.
Each year StarBrite honors a legend in the industry and 2015 Chiwoniso Maraire was honored. All the finalists were to chose and perform one of her songs and judged on it. On the second night they were tasked to write a song then perform an acoustic version. All songs were not to exceed 90 seconds.
Speaking to the contestants after the rehearsals, many said they had benefited much on the rehearsals. A group from Bindura, Black Sight had this to say “it was effective that we had to learn some of the things that we never were exposed to as artist like the issue of using social media to our advantage in marketing our products. StarBrite is truly making a difference”.
Carl Tinarwo from Harare also shared his experiences of the rehearsals as he said, “I benefited much from working with the band since it was my first time singing with a band as I was used to sing playing for myself and also learnt to be versatile as I was singing a different genre.
We also got a chance to hear from Memory Alifanti a young lady from Kwekwe who expressed her delight in participating on these rehearsals saying “I learnt how to coordinate well with the band and also to be in control of my performance. I am marketing myself and I just never knew all these things”
StarBrite Executive Director Barney Mpariwa also graced the event as he urged the contestants to put on their best acts and also had this to say “even if you fail to make it to the finals, it is not the end of it, with what you have been taught here you can still be successful in the music industry”
