On Wednesday, September 21st, the Apollo Theater, in partnership with the Coca-Cola Company, will present Amateur Night at the Apollo: Making a Star, a special edition of the Theater’s signature show, supporting emerging performing artists. The Amateur Night at the Apollo: Making a Star showcase is the culmination of the Theater’s recent nationwide search for the next Apollo legend. Hundreds of up-and-coming vocalists competed in a special New Orleans audition followed by an online audition component for the opportunity to perform on the legendary Apollo stage, where musical icons such as Michael Jackson, James Brown and Lauryn Hill honed their craft.
Five winners were chosen from the crop of hopefuls including:
- Shakar Brumfield (New York, NY),
- Markus Chatman (Atlanta, GA),
- Anastia Johnson (Miami, FL),
- Arrianne Keelen (New Orleans, LA) and
- Belle Lundon (Houston, TX).
The winners will receive an all-expense paid trip to New York City where they will perform in the Amateur Night at the Apollo: Making a Star showcase on September 21st. The lucky winners will have the opportunity to meet R&B singer and actor Tank and receive first hand advice from the multiple GRAMMY nominated artist. During their stay, they will also receive a recording session in a New York City production studio, a coaching session with Amateur Night producers, and consultations with industry professionals on vocal training, stage presence, make up and styling. The winners’ journey will be filmed by the Apollo for inclusion in the Theater’s first webisodes series.
The Theater launched the first phase of the Amateur Night at the Apollo: Making a Star competition in the summer of 2016 with live auditions in New Orleans, during the 2016 Essence Music Festival. Contestants selected from the live auditions advanced to a semi-final round, where two performers were chosen to perform on the Essence Music Festival mainstage. Judges chose one finalist, the Coca-Cola ‘Share a Coke and a Song’ winner. The second phase of the competition continued through an online submission process via the competition’s website, and viewers were able to vote on their favorites.
Apollo Theater, 253 West 125th Street, New York, NY 10027, www.apollotheater.org
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