'SEARCH FOR A STAR' TALENT CONTEST 2007

THE COMPETITION

'Search for a Star' was Waltham Forest's first talent contest for young people in the borough, and it took place in Walthamstow Town Square on Saturday 31st March 2007.

The judges were all professionals in the entertainments industry and they were looking for undiscovered local bands, groups and singers who have what it takes to make it big in music. And they found exactly what they were looking for....

The competition was so tough on the day that the judges had to declare a tie-break. Charlotte Tree(15) and Aaron McGhann(14) were declared 'Waltham Forest's Stars' for 2007.

Aaron and Charlotte both took away a day in a recording studio to cut a demo cd with their own producer and technician. This cd will then be aired and plugged on Streetlife FM and other local radio stations - as well as being podcast right here on Forest Flava for you all to see!

THE JUDGES

We were lucky to have an experienced panel of judges who each brought with them their own expertise and perspectives from the entertainment industry. The panel included;

Shizzio

Born and raised in urban East London, SHIZZIO is the talented new rap artist on the scene and is currently promoting his debut mixtape and his single 'Arabian Dance'.

The music video for 'Arabian Dance' was shot in central London, and features cameo appearances from the likes of Tim Westwood (BBC Radio One/ MTV), Kat-Man (Choice FM/ MTV Base) and MC DT (Masters of Ceremony). The video is on air on all music channels in the UK, so make sure you watch it!

Shizzio was first heard rapping in numerous East-end clubs and had regular underground radio slots as an MC part of hte 'No Fear Crew' outfit.

Since then, Shizzio is experiencing the main stage, performing across the UK and in nightclubs including The Works in Birmingham, ISIS in Nottingham and the CC Club in London.

In a short space of time rising star Shizzio has already featured in a Bollywood Brit movie - Scotland Express (to be released later this year), been approved by DJ Bobby Friction (BBC Asian Network) as a 'future friction' and has also been made the 'Artist of the Month' by the J4Jumpy crew.

Shizzio has also met with super producer Timbaland to discuss forthcoming projects. He was recently given the title of 'The Artist to watch out for in 2007' live on air by Choice FM.

The 'Arabian Dance' single will be out in spring and includes an exclusive DefJam remix.

For more info on Shizzio and the video for 'Arabian Dance', check out the official website www.shizzio.com

Ashanti Omkar

Ashanti is an entertainment writer, journalist and editor covering issues as diverse as music, food and fashion. She is currently working as the editor on the prestigious EMMA (Ethnic Multicultural Media Awards) project.

Ashanti has also worked as the senior editor of 'Asian Woman' and 'Asian Bride' magazines.

Ashanti has covered a wide range of established and emerging music artists, including Nitin Sawnhey, Apache Indian, Outlandish and Jay Sean. Her music tastes are vary varied and you can catch her listening to R&B, Hip Hop, Reggae, Soul, Gospel, World music and Jazz!

To find out more about Ashanti, go to www.omkari.net

Don Rogers

Don's music career spans over 20 years and many countries. Coming from a musical family, including a brother in well-known band 'The Charlatans', he was offered his first recording contract at the age of 15.

After achieving Top 10 hits in Europe, with a band called Job, Don turned to writing music in the 90's in his purpose-built recording studio. He's recently written for and recorded Tony Christie, who spent 7 weeks at No.1 last year.

Don has also written for Carolynne Good, joint runner up in the first Fame Academy, and he took her show on a national tour which ended at the Royal Albert Hall!

THE ENTERTAINMENT

For those people who weren't auditioning, there was plenty of fun to go round on the day.

We had stilt-walkers and break-dancers getting the crowd pumping in the Town Square throughout the whole afternoon, and there was also live music from the multi-talented StreetLife FM. We had...

- Banghra Sessions with DJ Itz
- Old Skool & Funky House with DJ's Anta & Ojay
- Hip Hop, R 'n' B and Basement with DJ Solitaire

Find out more about StreetLife Fm at www.streetlifefm.com