CHIEF MINISTER NEIPHIU RIO TO LAUNCH NAGA IDOL 2.07
Chief Minister, Nagaland, Shri Neiphiu Rio will launch Naga Idol 2.07 on 25th May 2007 at 9 AM in a function being organized by Mokokchung District Art & Culture Council at Town Hall, Mokokchung. In this function Naga Idol 2006 Moanungsang and finalist Emilo Patton will be performing.
On 25th May only, at 5 30 PM in the evening, MDACC is also organizing a Curtain Raiser concert in Town Hall, where the Naga Idol finalists will be performing together for the final time on the Idol stage. It will be a unique opportunity for the music loving people of Mokokchung to see their favorite Idols performing live before them. Mokokchung District Art and Culture Council (MDACC) is organizing M Fest 2007 and Naga Idol Ver 2.07, this year, encouraged by the stupendous success and tremendous public support received from the people of Nagaland, for M Fest 2006 and Naga Idol 2006. M Fest 2007 will comprise of Miss Mokokchung, Wa Wa Menu (a stand alone comedy show in Ao), Naga Idol 2.07 and a concert. Naga Idol ver. 2.07, is planned to be a bigger, better and bolder version of Naga Idol 2006 which rocked the State last year.
Last years contest was organized with the theme of ‘Nurturing Talent’ and from a very modest start it went on to capture the imagination of the music loving people of Nagaland. Nagaland has a huge talent in the field of music and singing and we need to nurture the talented singers and musicians in improvising on their skills and take it to a professional level where they will be able to make a living from their passion for music. Such a contest helps in engaging the youth in creative pursuits and ensures that they do not entertain negative thoughts and ideas, leading to problems for the society.
Last year, Naga Idol contestants carried forward AIDS awareness messages and helped the youth be aware of the evils of drug abuse, alcoholism and AIDS. It is believed that such a contest gave a platform to young Naga singers who have become a household name today and enabled the finalists of last year to become established singers. This year it is planned to take the contests to the remote corners of the State by having partners in all the districts for organizing auditions and concerts.
Apart from the successful singers who have emerged from the show, the contest and the event have helped create a resource pool of young motivated youth who are experts in Event Management, Marketing, dealing with sponsors, Stage arrangements, Sound & Light arrangements, set design, videography, direction, video and sound editing and production of professional video and audio products. It has also led to creation of infrastructure in Mokokchung as our endeavour was to support local businessmen in investing in Sound and Light equipments etc which has improved the overall facilities available in Mokokchung.
Another achievement of the show was that the whole organization was done through revenue generated by sale of Voting Cards, CDs etc and Sponsorships and this show will is believed to be more sustainable as it is not dependent on grants or donations.
This year, we are planning a bigger and better version of the Show. The 2007 edition of the M-FEST will comprise of Naga Idol Ver. 2.07, Miss Mokokchung Beauty Pageant, Wa Wa Menü Show, Mega Concert, Festivals of Handloom & Handicraft and Festival of Ethnic Food and Cuisines. The Wa Wa Menü show is an innovation this year and it will be a stand alone comedy show in Ao. For, the concert, we are planning to invite a renowned singer or rock band and we even intend to get an international group, if budget allows.
The M-FEST 2007 will begin with the Naga Idol 2.07 Curtain Raiser Show on 25thMay and culminate with the carnival of M-FEST Finale Events which will be held from 30th Oct to 2nd Nov 2007 at the Imkongmeren Sports Complex Mokokchung. The details of the show with exact dates is given in the annexure.
The contestants will chosen by a panel of Judges in the Audition and Screening Rounds. In the Voting Rounds, selection of contestants will on the basis of points scored deduced from the votes obtained and the Judges points. A total of 24 Idols will be selected for the voting rounds. In the 1st Voting Round, 18 Idol Finalists will be selected while in the 2nd and 3rd Voting Rounds, 12 and 6 Idol Finalists will be selected from where the winner of the Naga Idol 2.07 will be chosen in the Final (4th) Voting Round. Voting will be through Voting Cards and SMS (if available).
The Auditions will be held from 19th June to 15th July in all District Hqs while the Screening Audition will be from 8th to 11th July at Mokokchung. The 1st Voting Round will be from 6th Aug to 22nd Aug while the 2nd Voting Round will be from 25th Aug to 10th Sept. The 3rd Voting Round will be from 19th Sept to 5th Oct and the Final (4th) Voting Round will start from 15th Oct which will continue till the last day of the Show, where the winner of the Naga Idol 2.07 will be declared. Road shows/concerts are being planned in all the District Hqs.
In the Audition and Screening Auditions, the Contestants will sing without any accompaniment (Acapella) while in the Voting Rounds, Contestants shall sing along with sound tracks. All the songs must be sung in English except for the Local Dialect Section of the 4th Voting Round, where the song must be in any local Dialect of original composition by any local artiste.
The Prizes of the Naga Idol 2.07 are as follows: Rs. 100,000.00 (Rupees one lakh) only for the winner of the Naga Idol 2.07, Rs. 50,000.00 (Rupees fifty thousand) for the First Runners-up, Rs. 20,000.00 (Rupees twenty thousand) for the Second Runners-up and Rs. 10,000.00 (Rupees ten thousand) as Consolation Prizes to the last 3 (three) Idol finalists. Besides Citation and Gift Hampers, a Recording Contract shall be offered to the Idol Finalists.
Interested Contestants can register by giving your Name, DOB, Sex, Residential Address, Contact Phone No. and Preferred Audition Center to www.nagaidol.com or nagaidol@gmail.com or through SMS or phone to the following numbers 9436006134, 9862052685 & 9856510700. Registration Fee of Rs. 300.00 (three hundred only) along with one colour passport size photograph must be submitted to the Naga Idol office or during the Audition. The Registration starts from 26th May to 18th June 2007.