Malawian budding musicians will have a chance to showcase their talent to the world alongside their counterparts from Zambia and Zimbabwe courtesy of a reality show My Booth.

The talent search will be conducted by Zambian Pan-African record label Elation Entertainment who have entered an agreement with Musicians Union of Malawi (MUM).

Chirwa and Chilembo after signing
the agreement

According to the organisers, 15 contestants, five each from the three countries, have been selected for the talent show after undergoing auditions and will compete for a cash prize of $50 000 plus a recording deal from May 14.

The talent show will be aired on DStv, GOtv and Zambia’s Power TV with focus on music from the three countries produced over the past 60 years. A panel of four judges, including Malawian artist Patience Namadingo, will preside over the competition.

In an interview yesterday, Elation Entertainment chief executive officer Sokwani Chilembo said the judges will be looking for versatility, originality, creativity and personality.

He said although there is so much talent in the three countries, the bloc remains disintegrated for musicians unlike in East and West Africa. He said the competition will bring the necessary exposure to a population of 60 million.

“Music is about numbers and each country standing alone cannot garner enough numbers for musicians which are needed to make economic sense and grow followership all over the world. These countries have unique sound which defines who we are,” he said.

Chilembo added that the platform will show to the world about musicians based in the three countries and the type of music that they offer. He said the competition will also act as a medium of preserving the African culture.

In a separate interview, MUM president Vita Chirwa hailed the initiative for its potential to offer a breakthrough to budding artists beyond the borders of Malawi.

He said: “It is a big opportunity to Malawian artists. Besides that, Power TV has also extended an invitation to Malawian artists who would like to have their videos aired on the channel. That is a great opportunity too.”

The other judges in the competition are Maureen Lupo Lilanda from Zambia, Blessings Bled Chimanga from Zimbabwe and Chilembo. The show will be airing every Sunday and its first season will have 13 episodes.

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