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''Don't fight it, don't hide it. . . '' the first audition day of e.tv's Popstars kicked off on Saturday in Durban, luring a massive crowd and creating a line snaking around the building of over a thousand hopeful contestants waiting paitiently for their chance at the Gateway mall's Ster-Kinekor theatre.
Keith Lindsay, Popstars executive producer estimated a crowd of over a thousand who turned up for their chance to join the reality band in the channel's major new reality show. ''This Popstars is definitely going to be interesting to watch,'' he says. ''The judges are not only looking for someone who has strong vocal capabilities but individuals with a star quality, smart people willing to embrace all the hard work required in entering the harsh South African music industry.''
''There's been fierce competition throughout the day,'' says PJ Powers, one of this season's Popstars judges. ''The talent is impeccable and the pressure is certainly on.'' The Durban auditions have attracted many people from different parts of KwaZulu-Natal and the surrounding areas, says e.tv, with many contestants who underwent a three hour journey from Pietermaritzburg and several who camped out from Friday night for their chance to audition.
The Popstars contestants are vying to be part of a band that will get a recording deal with EMI Music South Africa. Those who miss the Durban opportunity can still get a chance to register to audition in Cape Town (28 and 29 August, Tyger Valley Shopping Centre, Ster-Kinekor), Johannesburg (4 and 5 September, Maponya Mall, Ster-Kinekor and Pretoria (11 and 12 September, Centurion Mall, Ster-Kinekor).
