Chronicle Editor
Patrick Chitumba, Midlands Bureau Chief
The stage has been set and microphones are in place for Hear Me Zimbabwe Season 2 which will once again be held at the prestigious Milan Family Restaurant in Gweru.
This comes after the success of the singing competition’s Season 1 whose winner was unveiled this past weekend.
The event that is being run by the restaurant’s owners, the Milan family saw Harare-based singer Leah Kasinamunda coming out tops. She won a US$2 000 prize money after shrugging off competition from over 200 contestants who competed over 14 weeks.
Kim Gogwe Sibanda, the competition’s producer called on people “who think they can sing” to register for Season 2.
“The stage has been set and the mics are ready for Hear Me Zimbabwe Season 2. The venue is going to be the prestigious Milan Family Restaurant and we’re grateful for the support that we’re receiving from the owners of the restaurant,” she said.
Sibanda said Season 2 is going to run for 16 weeks including the semi-finals and finals.
“We’re going to have 14 episodes before we conduct the semi-finals and finals which will be episodes 15 and 16. Semi-finals have been set for September 10 and finals for September 24.”
She said Season 2 will definitely be bigger and better as they will improve from lessons learnt from the first season.
She added that they hope to attract competitors from outside Gweru as they want the competition to appeal to a larger audience.
“We’re set to have a bigger and better production as we’re on a drive to cast a wider net because we feel there’s too much talent to be heard not only in the country or the region but the whole world. To achieve this, we’ve roped in a number of professionals,” Sibanda said.
“We’re going to have the biggest show as this season will have broadcasting deals with television networks, making the show bigger and better.”
Hear Me Zimbabwe commercial director Yasha Chiriseri called on corporates and individuals to come through and forge partnerships so as to make the show more successful.
“As we gear up for Season 2, we’re calling on corporates and individuals to come on board so that we have partnerships. We need to make this big so as to grow the music industry while also marketing products,” he said.
To be part of the competition, hopefuls have to send short clips of them singing to the competition’s WhatsApp platform with Sibanda saying shortlisted candidates stand a chance to be sponsored transport and accommodation to attend the competitions in Gweru.
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