The eighth season of M-Net’s hit talent competition Idols kicks off in Sandton this Saturday [4 February] and this year the show’s popular host, ProVerb, will also be calling the shots behind the scenes.
Pro has joined forces with legendary Idols director Gavin Wratten, who has directed all seven seasons of Idols to date and also produced Season 6 and 7, to form a new production company, [Sic] Productions, which will oversee the eighth season.
“Internationally it is not unusual for on-camera talent to be involved with production,” says M-Net Communications Manager Lani Lombard, citing original American Idol judge Simon Cowell as an example. “Since he joined Idols as a host in Season 6, Proverb has displayed an instinctive insight into what it is that makes Idols so special, and he has made a tremendous contribution to the success of the past two record-breaking seasons.”
ProVerb launched his career as a rapper 1999, achieving success with albums such as The Book of ProVerb, Manuscript, and Write of Passage.
On radio ProVerb was the technical producer of The Fresh Breakfast Show on Yfm and The Avenue 3 to 6 with Glen Lewis and Idols judge Unathi on MetroFM, and he can currently be heard on air on 94.7 Highveld Stereo. He has also hosted two Miss South Africa broadcasts and lectured in TV production and radio at Damelin College.
This season of Idols is a co-production between M-Net and Mzansi Magic and will be broadcast on both channels from June 2012. “This year Idols is looking for a funky, cool person with soul,” says Lombard, “a true South African that will speak to the heart of the entire Rainbow Nation.”
The first auditions for Idols Season 8 will be held at the Sandton International Convention Centre in the heart of Sandton on Saturday, 4 February.
Entrants must be at least 16 years old and no older than 30 on the day of their auditions, and all contestants must present a valid I.D. document to enter. A parent or a legal guardian must accompany entrants younger than 18 years of age.
AUDITION DATES & VENUES:
• Johannesburg: Sandton Convention Centre – Saturday 4 February
• Durban: Ushaka Marine World – Saturday, 11 February
• Cape Town: Grandwest Entertainment World – Saturday, 18 February
• Kliptown, Soweto: Walter Sisulu Square – Saturday, 25 February
Prospective Idols are advised to arrive early to register and to make sure they are available for call-backs over the whole weekend, if necessary. “If you don’t come and show us what you’re made of, you will never know if you could have made it,” warns ProVerb.
Updates and further information can be found on: Facebook: Idols South Africa, on Twitter @IdolsSA and Website at www.mnet.co.za/idols.
