Revamped Star Academy Maghreb to begin auditions

2009-10-06

This year's Star Academy Maghreb will feature candidates selected by an internet audience, performances by local bands, and judging by international music stars.

By Jamel Arfaoui for Mahgarebia in Tunis – 06/10/09

[Jamel Arfaoui] A new look and new talent are radiating from the upcoming Star Academy Maghreb.

Star Academy Maghreb is on the brink of returning, and this year's re-vamped show will unleash several surprises, according to the show's creators.

"The current version will see a major change at all levels," said Nessma TV executive Nabil Karoui in a press statement issued Friday (October 2nd).

For starters, international recording artists will make weekly appearances with the 15 candidates. According to the press statement, this will include stars such as Italy's Eros Ramazzoti and Laura Pausini and England's James Blunt, as well Maghreb stars Cheb Khaled and Cheb Faudel.

There will also be changes in how the candidates are judged. In the competition's first year, all of the candidates were chosen by a panel. Now, "the internet audience will be the jury in the initial stages," said Karoui. The show will now feature 15 candidates rather than 14.

The jury will also serve a different purpose in the new-and-improved "Star Academy Maghreb". While in the show's first incarnation, jury members coached the candidates, this year the same advice will come from some of the Maghreb's most renowned artists.

Auditions in Tunisia for those who wish to qualify for the final contest will kick off October 10th at a hotel in the heart of Tunis, followed by another round of auditions on October 13th and 15th in Sfax.

In Morocco, auditions will begin October 17th in Casablanca and will run for two days. Auditions will then move to Tangier on October 20th, followed by Marrakesh on the 22nd. The competition will then move to Algeria, where it will take place in three cities: Algiers on October 25th-26th, Oran on the 28th, and finally in Annaba on the 30th.

Star Academy Maghreb will begin broadcasting this December, and will continue for 13-14 weeks. The prime-time attraction will be recorded weekly in Hammamet, where large 1,000-square-metre studios "will allow us to invite a large number of fans, unlike the previous [shows]," Karoui said.

A new feature of this year's Star Academy will be the introduction of young local bands each week to expose them to a wider audience.

The winner of the competition will record a CD, financed by Star Academy management.

The show has yet to schedule auditions in Mauritania, despite holding a contract with the country. "I think we'll try to [bring on board] the relevant authorities in Mauritania, exactly as we did last time with Libya, so that the Maghreb presence will be complete," said Karoui.

Audition dates have yet to be scheduled for Libya or France, where there is a large North African population.

Lotfi Amari, editor-in-chief of Tunisian magazine Haqa'iq, hopes that Star Academy will not be restricted to Maghreb immigrants in France alone. "I think that it should include the other European countries, where there are significant Maghreb youth communities, such as Italy and Belgium," he said.

Samira Nefzi, a 22-year-old student, said she would be happy to see Star Academy return. "We almost lost all hope after we waited for so long, and the eyes of the audience were diverted to Lebanon [which broadcasts another version of the programme]. I hope that this year's show will be different from the previous show, and that it will bring us new things."

For his part, Faisal Al Cheti said that he would audition for the competition.

"I'll also tell my friends who have talent about this event," he said. "This is because we don't have information about the return of Star Academy Maghreb, and it will be just great if I manage to get through the preliminary rounds, because I have something to offer, especially in playing the harp and acting."