BY PHUMZILE NDLOVU
MBABANE – Do you have what it takes to perform at the MTN Bushfire Festival?
Then grab a chance to apply now.
MTN Bushfire is thrilled to announce the seventh edition of the hottest music talent competition for Eswatini’s #YoungGiftedFree, MTN Bushfire Firefly.
MTN Bushfire is calling on young artists in Eswatini to send their music recordings to be considered for the Firefly competition. The top three winners will perform live at the MTN Bushfire Festival, to be held from May 30 to June 2, 2024.
The #YoungGiftedFree are trailblasers who dream big and hustle hard. MTN Bushfire Firefly creates a music space with no limitations for the youth to freely express themselves by sharing their musical creativity and lyrical authenticity. Vocalists, singers, and rappers aged between 16 and 35 are invited to submit their music recordings for a chance to be part of MTN Bushfire Firefly.
Applications for this year’s edition of the competition are now open via the Firefly page on the MTN Bushfire website (www.bush-fire.com/firefly). Applicants are required to send two tracks for consideration and their Electronic Press Kit (EPK) or bio either in PDF format or via a web link. Applications close on March 24, 2024.
Launched in 2017, MTN Bushfire Firefly is a powerful manifestation of MTN Bushfire’s Bring Your Fire call to action for positive social and environmental change. The competition is an expression of the festival’s arts development pillar, which has inspired conscious and tangible efforts to create sustained access to the arts for Eswatini’s youth.
Over the years, the competition has established an inspiring track record of unearthing, promoting, and supporting emerging talent by giving the youth a credible platform to share their music with wide audiences.
To date, the music competition has empowered over 100 up-and-coming artists, most of whom have used this opportunity to elevate their musical careers and become recognised artists in Eswatini’s music industry.
Each year, 20 artists are selected from the applications and promoted across MTN Bushfire’s social media platforms and affiliate festival platforms to grow their reach and awareness. The Top 10 artists are then selected by public vote to perform for a live audience at the MTN Bushfire Firefly Grand Finale, which will take place on April 26, 2024. The top 3 winners will each receive exciting prizes, career opportunities, and the grand prize of a performance slot at the MTN Bushfire festival.
The final adjudication process at the Firefly Grand Finale involves a combination of expert industry judges and public online votes. Voting will be conducted via the MTN Bushfire Firefly channel on the AYOBA app, which can be downloaded from www.Ayoba.me or any online download store. For your streaming and voting convenience, personalised MTN Pulse data bundles will be available for purchase throughout the series. More information can be found on the MTN Bushfire website.
To learn more about the competition and how to enter, follow us on Facebook: MTN Bushfire Firefly, Instagram: @MTNBushfireFirefly, and Twitter (X): @MTNBushfireFly. We have exciting giveaways and informative music business news that will positively grow the music industry in Eswatini.
Who Can Apply?
- Artists aged 16 – 35 years
- Artist must have at least two recorded songs for consideration
- Resident of Eswatini
- Performance experience preferred
- Applications are not open to DJs
How It Works
- 6 Mar – 24 Mar: Applications open
- 29 Mar – 12 Apr: Top 20 announcement and voting commences on AYOBA
- 15 Apr – 25 Apr: Top 10 announcement and voting continues on AYOBA
- 26 Apr: MTN BushfireFirefly Grand Finale
- 31 May – 2 June: The Top 3 perform at the MTN Bushfire festival
Artist Benefits
- Top 20 – Music promotion on international platforms
- Top 20 – Arts Round Table participation – network opportunity with global stakeholder
- Top 20 – MTN Caller Tune opportunity
- Top 10 – Performance at the Firefly Top 10 Grand Finale with expense stipend
- Top 10 – Branded Merchandise
- Top 3 – Mobile phones sponsored by MTN Eswatini
- Top 3 – Performance slot at the MTN Bushfire Festival with expense stipend
