If there’s one thing you can say with certainty about Andre Harrell: he MAKES STARS. Just look at the careers of Mary J. Blige and Diddy for example: they’re at the top of their careers right now after being molded and forged by Mr. Harrell and now, he’s on a mission to do it again. Signing a major distribution deal with Atlantic Records, Harrell recently launched his own imprint Harrell Records, and his first major project is finding the next soul music superstar. Here’s how it works: Contestants from all around the country submit a clip of themselves singing an original piece and are subjected to the votes of the public. The top 50 contestants in each region are chosen to sing in front of Mr. Harrell and a panel of celebrity judges. The 50 is narrowed down to 10, to 3 and then a final person(s) in each region are chosen to compete in the finals, which will be held July 31 in Atlanta, GA. The ultimate winner will be the recipient of a recording contract and $10,000.
The competition started out strong in the Queen City of the Carolinas where Harrell revised his contest rules and chose two finalists from the city for the finals. “The talent was inspiring…moving…” he remarks of the contestants in Charlotte. “The decision to pick a winner was difficult. We had to break it down to double overtime and I think we walked out with the best male singer in J. Remy and the best female singer in Ammye”
His decision to visit Charlotte was not unfounded, citing the discovery of local acts like Jodeci, Anthony Hamilton and Horace Brown for his reason to seek out soul music in one of the south’s hidden gems. But with acts like Lady Gaga, The Black-Eyed Peas and Katy Perry grasping top spots on the charts, one could only question if there’s actually a place for R&B/soul music to be revived. “People always miss soul music, they never get enough of soul music,” Harrell responds.
The winner of this contest is set to embark on a quest to musical greatness, not simple gimmicks and submission to trends. Artist development is one key factor that makes the difference in longevity and passing trends. “It’s no question” he says in response to whether artists are missing the link of artist development from their labels these days. “Artists need artist development and they need mentoring. Nobody here is rewriting the book; the book has been written, you just gotta read the chapters. And I’m here to be the professor that makes sure you do your homework”.
Check out the full video interview above and photos below of the Charlotte auditions! We’ll keep you posted on the finals! Photos courtesy of DJ Lil Tone.
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Super Top ten list! you clearly placed a lot of your time and thought into putting it together. thank you for sharing it.
Man, that shit is ridiculous! J Remy??? are you kidding??? Andre Harrell musta had wax clogging his ears, or eiather he’s losing his ear for true talent. That kid J harmony clearly shut down the spot that day! I commend him for still clapping for the winners but it was obvious that he felt cheated. The whole room was shocked that Andre Harrell made such a foul call. Not only did J Remy forget his lyrics, but he had no stage presence, never looked the judges or anyone for that matter in the eye, nor did he follow the instructions to sing one of Andre’s song picks. I really hope J Harmony does make it. He killed that contest in North Carolina. J Remy, i bet you were even shocked that your name was called….because you know who the real winner was. The best of luck to you though. Anyone disagree with me, feel free to email me at sojuicycara@yahoo.com We came all the way from Jacksonville to see the contest and I could feel the pain and passion in J Harmony’s performance. I went online and bought his album and all i can say is Andre Harrell… you know you made a big mistake. WE LOVE YOU J HARMONY!!!!!
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