FLASH Entertainment, organisers of Yasalam, the largest city-wide entertainment festival run by any race-host city, announces the line-up of industry leaders to the Emerging Talent Competition (ETC) jury. Multi award-winning Hollaphonic’s Olly Wood; songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and orchestral composer Reiner Erlings; and one of Abu Dhabi and New York’s most prominent live music influencers Bill Bragin, will judge the 2016 edition of the UAE’s trendiest talent competition. Up-and-coming aspiring artists in the UAE are encouraged to submit their creative entries before the Saturday, September 24th deadline, for their chance to participate in a life-changing music opportunity.
This year’s winner will be awarded a headlining spot at ‘Beats on the Beach’, as well as a house band residency in The Village at du Arena—a career-defining opportunity to showcase their talent to excited audiences and potential scouts. The top ten finalists selected will also receive weeks of hands-on training, expert guidance and mentoring from industry leaders as well as first-hand insights from ETC 2015 winners S.O.S. (Secrecy over Supremacy) and ambassador DJ Saif and Sound at bespoke workshops.
To enter, aspiring artists must submit their music recordings, videos and answer a few simple questions about their participation to FLASH Entertainment through the yasalam.ae website by Saturday, September 24th, 2016.
John Lickrish, CEO of FLASH Entertainment, said: “FLASH Entertainment has built a remarkable reputation bringing global music industry superstars to perform here in the UAE, at the most electrifying live concerts in the Middle East. Nurturing local, up-and-coming talent and providing them with the opportunities to kick-start their musical careers is an equally important element of our vision. In its second year, the Emerging Talent Competition offers the UAE’s emerging talent a direct and live platform to audiences across the region – this year we take yet another step further in our music evolution.”
Returning to the judging panel is the multi-talented Reiner Erlings; producer, songwriter, and orchestral composer. Erlings has been a prominent figure on the UAE music scene for the past ten years with his compositions and sound designs for award-winning ad campaigns. He has produced and mixed for many regional artists, worked on some of the UAE’s best- selling indie albums, as well as scores for a variety of works by top filmmakers. The hit-maker is also known for his collaboration with the region’s most loved brands, including Audi, du, and TEDx. With his wide-range of industry expertise and talent, Erlings will be a source of inspiration for all the competitors.
Another outstanding member of the judging committee, Oliver Wood – one half of the multi-award winning duo, Hollaphonic. Starting out in 2013, Wood and Greg Stainer shot straight to stardom as the first ever electronic music act to be signed to a major label in the Middle East. Alongside being regional favorites, the duo has also received international recognition and acclaim for Hollaphonic’s album hits reaching top twenty in eight countries by winning places on the global Shazam trending chart, Smash of the Week and BUZZCHART with DMC Magazine. Wood has opened for music giants including David Guetta, Coldplay and Calvin Harris amongst others. With all their future plans and successes, Hollaphonic is on a constant rise to the top and Wood’s experience in electrifying the music world will be pivotal in guiding the UAE’s aspiring talent.
The third member of the judging panel is Bill Bragin, the Executive Artistic Director at New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD). Named by The National as one of the UAE’s Faces of 2015 and dubbed by the New York Times as one of the most influential figures in New York’s live-music business, Bragin has brought a wealth of experience, creativity and unique flare to his role at the university. Alongside his role in the UAE, he is also a co-founding and co-director of the not-for-profit world music festival and service organization globalFEST and a former member of the board of trustees of the Association of Performing Arts Presenters (APAP).
Visit www.yasalam.ae for further information. #Yasalam2016
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