Staff Writer
MASERU, Lesotho – Step-Up, Lesotho’s premium talent search programme is bouncing back this year with the producers, Khaya Holdings, saying it will be bigger and better than the previous season.
The show focuses on discovering upcoming music stars turning them into instant national-wide icons with potential to rock audiences and airwaves across the kingdom’s borders.
Tumahole Lechesa one of the executive producers of the show said plans were at an advanced stage to present “mature, explosive entertainment for the viewers”.
“Step-Up tells an African story from an African perspective through a rich African musical culture as a channel to express ourselves in an international language “music”. This is an annual show that attracts a tsunami of viewers across the country and beyond,” Lechesa said.
He added that the show was meant to make dreams come true for aspiring young musicians who need a platform to start their careers. He said it would also afford Basotho an opportunity to watch fresh and inspiring television productions “as we pioneer change in our media and entertainment industry”.
The show is open to talented persons aged 15 to 35 years who have never recorded and album. The auditions for the second season will be held in every district across the country.
The Winner will get a cash prize, a scholarship, a car and a record deal with one of the top record labels in the region.
Lechesa said their aim was to offer artistes an international platform and a sustainable career while also playing a Pan African.
“It’s an African Dream. After a successful run of Season 1, the step-up team is back with the continuation of the show which had been disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic. At the time, we shifted our focus to productions like Edu-Reloaded on LTV bridging the gap for learners who were unable to attend school due to the pandemic.
“We are promising and explosive show in Season 2 as so much talent is out there waiting to be discovered. The success story of Season 1 is visible as it ushered into the limelight powerful brands like Morena Sway, Tamia, Ntabiseng and Snsai Ranking Tolwana among others,” he said.
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Season 1 winner, Tamia Phoko, walked away with a brand-new VW POLO sponsored by Vodacom Lesotho and a scholarship sponsored by IBC College.
“We would like to thank all the companies that sponsored and partnered with us in Season 1 and we hope to work together again.
“We are currently in pre-production assembling a new team of industry players ranging from producers, judges, presenters and crew. We have a few surprises in this year’s season so be on the lookout and keep following our official pages,” said Lechesa.
He added that they were engaging an array of sponsors who will be disclosed once contracts have been signed.
“As you might know, there is stiff competition for visibility and to also impact positively on the public. Therefore, we are engaging partners in different entities from clothing, transport, tourism and hospitality, food and entertainment industries.
“We are open to having as many sponsors as possible as we believe this an important show that contributes to the development of the country and complements government efforts to create employment through skills development,” Lechesa said.
Khaya Holdings has already partnered with South Africa and Atlanta, United States based company; Snake Nation, who come with vast entertainment industry experience with the potential to open doors for Basotho artistes.
