Four months and almost one million votes later, the six fresh South African music acts to perform on stage with Usher are revealed.
The winners of the nation-wide talent search are Urban artists:
– Mo and the Dark Knights – Gauteng
– Busi M – Western Cape
– Shoelace – Eastern Cape
– Mapak’shop -Northern Province
– Mo Klaassik – Free State
– Abdus – KwaZulu-Natal
They will all take to the stage at Orlando Stadium in Soweto on March 10, serving as a precursor to multiple Grammy Award winner Usher Raymond.
“The six urban artists were selected out of 1 500 entries from around the country by a team of Talent Search Ambassadors, who have been combing the country since November to identify the hottest local talent,” says Hansa Pilsener’s General Manager, Mosidi Seretlo. These were whittled down to twelve finalists through a rigorous selection process, from which members of the public could vote on the final six acts.
The crowd can expect to hear Mo and the Dark Knights’ fusion of funk, kwaito, hip hop, rock and soul, songbird Busi M’s jazz and dance beats, Shoelace’s “pop rock with African elements, blues and soul”, Mapak’shop ‘s Motswako hip hop rap, Mo Klassik’s hip hop and afro pop with an R&B influence and Zulu rapper Abdus’ lyrical rhymes.
“The aim of the competition was to provide a platform for existing musicians to promote their art and get exposure on a national level, as well as mentoring from credible music industry business people,” Seretlo says. Judges included Thabiso Khati – who has worked with artists ranging from Lucky Dube to L-Tido – local rap group Teargas and music mogul Zakes Bantwini.
Besides the main act of R&B superstar Usher, the festival will feature performances from established musicians Gang of Instrumentals, Liquideep, Teargas and Zakes Bantwini with Oskido, Vigilante, Capital and DJ Tira on the decks.
Gates open at noon and the first act takes the stage at 12.30pm. No under 18s allowed
