LAST year, Jack Daniel’s launched a music scout campaign that saw several people enter to try to win a shot at the big time. This time the exercise is back, bigger and better with potentially life-changing prizes.
Three judges have been announced – DJ Ganyani, T-Bo Touch and Khuli Chana. So we have a DJ, a radio personality and a rapper and they are all looking into selecting the next best thing. We caught up with Khuli Chana (pictured) for some information on how things are going be run.
“I grew up in a time where having studio time or even performing on a stage was a dream. Now, having achieved some sort of success in that department, I have to give some youngster out there the chance to also have a crack at the music industry,” said the Freshe hit-maker.
While the brief talks about searching for “real beats made on South African streets”, Khuli Chana expanded on that point by saying that any sort of musicians were welcome and not beat makers alone.
“We are just after music. It doesn’t have to be hip hop. It can be anything, all it has to do is blow our minds. I think that’s also why we have a diverse group of judges as this will help us all come up with different takes on the entries we get,” said the rapper.
“Personally I’m looking for extraordinary talent. Someone that could be the next Michael Jackson, but doing it in their own style. That’s what I want to see,” he said.
The winner of the show will get a trip to the 2015 Miami Music Conference which is one of the most publicised music events in the world.
There, several top musicians will have a lot of information to give about the ins and outs of the music industry.
“I hope the person who wins wants a mentor to go with to the conference. They can just let me know, I will be available. I’m just saying,” joked Khuli Chana.
“But seriously though, I hope they don’t mess around once they get there. That’s a huge prize that they have to collect and it comes with invaluable content and connections. You don’t buy that kind of value on the streets. They should really make it worthwhile,” he said.
Since there’s only one winner and a lot of talented people that will fall off along the way, Khuli Chana felt they too could be winners in life if they believed in their talent.
“Not everyone can win but when you try, you open up doors to a future you hadn’t anticipated. We all can’t go through the same path but sooner or later, if you try, your stuff will be appreciated. How many other competitions do we know where the runner-up actually went on to be very successful? Plenty, and so this is no exception,” he said.
• To enter the Jack Daniel’s Music Scout campaign, visit www.jackscouts.co.za and you will be asked to upload your demo.