Fusion 06, the hottest fashion, music and style festival for the young and trendy, organised by IIR Middle East, held the first heat of their ‘Ford Fusion Stars’ talent contest on Thursday night (7th September) at the Bur Juman Shopping Mall, in Bur Dubai.
Twelve contestants were auditioned in front of a live audience and a panel of leading entertainment industry judges. Master of ceremonies for the evening was local DJ Emma B from 104.1 FM Emirates Radio 1 and the event was broadcast live to Radio 1 listeners.
Each contestant was marked out of 120 points and judged on five distinct criteria; vocals, stage presence, appearance, entertainment value and connection with the audience. The judges also took into consideration whether the contestants used any accessories or props to court audience participation.
Adam Taylor, Event Director, Fusion 06, commented, “We were inundated with entries and had to stop our registrations earlier last week. In total 48 contestants will be auditioned over four heats and unfortunately only twelve will be invited to attend the semi finals. However as far as I’m concerned, based on tonight’s performances, everyone is a winner and I don’t envy the judges!”
The contest was initiated in conjunction with Ford, to search for the best ‘undiscovered’ young talent in the region. In recent years such competitions have proved to be immensely popular and ‘Ford Fusion Stars’ has proved to be no exception.
The judges included, Susan Sultan from Zee Arabiya TV, Craig Pereira, from Sony BMG Music Entertainment and Rachael Monk, from EMI Music. Monk commented, “The standard of local talent is exceptional and that was clearly appreciated by the audience. Music has a unique ability to bring people together, from all walks of life.” Sultan and Pereira both agreed and added, “Events such as this provide an ideal platform for young local talent to express themselves, in a positive and entertaining way.”
The last of the four heats will take place on Friday 15th September and those contestants chosen to compete head-to-head in the semi-finals, will be notified by Monday 18th September. Both the semi finals and the final will be held at Fusion 06, which takes place at Airport Expo Dubai from September 21st to September 23rd 2006. In a dramatic finale, the winner will be handed the keys to a brand new Ford Focus, the brand’s sporty bestseller and will no doubt enjoy the associated social prestige and industry accolades.
Fusion 06, the first event of its kind in the Middle East, is a unique fashion, music and style event, reflecting the lifestyles of the region’s youth in an interactive environment. With hundreds of participants, the festival will feature iconic brands, the Motorola Chill Out Lounge, live music entertainment acts, fashion shows, model scouts, free beauty makeovers, adventure activities, Zee Arabiya’s VJ recruitment drive and daily prize draws to attract the interest of a youth audience passionate for new design and innovation. Aiming to establish itself as the next generation lifestyle show for the Middle East, Fusion 06 is expecting 20,000 visitors in what promises to be a cool weekend hang-out.
FORD FUSION TALENT CONTEST STEPS UP A GEAR
Fusion 06, the hottest fashion, music and style festival for the young and trendy, organised by IIR Middle East, held the first heat of their ‘Ford Fusion Stars’ talent contest on Thursday night (7th September) at the Bur Juman Shopping Mall, in Bur Dubai.
Twelve contestants were auditioned in front of a live audience and a panel of leading entertainment industry judges. Master of ceremonies for the evening was local DJ Emma B from 104.1 FM Emirates Radio 1 and the event was broadcast live to Radio 1 listeners.
Each contestant was marked out of 120 points and judged on five distinct criteria; vocals, stage presence, appearance, entertainment value and connection with the audience. The judges also took into consideration whether the contestants used any accessories or props to court audience participation.
Adam Taylor, Event Director, Fusion 06, commented, “We were inundated with entries and had to stop our registrations earlier last week. In total 48 contestants will be auditioned over four heats and unfortunately only twelve will be invited to attend the semi finals. However as far as I’m concerned, based on tonight’s performances, everyone is a winner and I don’t envy the judges!”
The contest was initiated in conjunction with Ford, to search for the best ‘undiscovered’ young talent in the region. In recent years such competitions have proved to be immensely popular and ‘Ford Fusion Stars’ has proved to be no exception.
The judges included, Susan Sultan from Zee Arabiya TV, Craig Pereira, from Sony BMG Music Entertainment and Rachael Monk, from EMI Music. Monk commented, “The standard of local talent is exceptional and that was clearly appreciated by the audience. Music has a unique ability to bring people together, from all walks of life.” Sultan and Pereira both agreed and added, “Events such as this provide an ideal platform for young local talent to express themselves, in a positive and entertaining way.”
The last of the four heats will take place on Friday 15th September and those contestants chosen to compete head-to-head in the semi-finals, will be notified by Monday 18th September. Both the semi finals and the final will be held at Fusion 06, which takes place at Airport Expo Dubai from September 21st to September 23rd 2006. In a dramatic finale, the winner will be handed the keys to a brand new Ford Focus, the brand’s sporty bestseller and will no doubt enjoy the associated social prestige and industry accolades.
Fusion 06, the first event of its kind in the Middle East, is a unique fashion, music and style event, reflecting the lifestyles of the region’s youth in an interactive environment. With hundreds of participants, the festival will feature iconic brands, the Motorola Chill Out Lounge, live music entertainment acts, fashion shows, model scouts, free beauty makeovers, adventure activities, Zee Arabiya’s VJ recruitment drive and daily prize draws to attract the interest of a youth audience passionate for new design and innovation. Aiming to establish itself as the next generation lifestyle show for the Middle East, Fusion 06 is expecting 20,000 visitors in what promises to be a cool weekend hang-out.
