Mohalenyane Phakela
SA-based fashionista twins, Tšeliso and Matšeliso Thella, will on Saturday launch a talent search competition at Motlejoa BnB in Butha-Buthe with the intention of identifying budding dancers, poets and singers.
In an interview with the Weekender this week, the twins said the competition would run until 25 December, with the finale featuring talent scouts from DJ Sbu’s TS Records which is behind the success of songbird Zahara.
Lesedi FM’s Ba2cada, who is renowned for promoting local rappers and for the MACUFE Tšepe Festival in Bloemfontein will also be among the scouts.
According to Matšeliso, they came up with the talent search competition after being inundated with propositions and demos from local artistes seeking sponsorship. She said youths from their home district, Butha Buthe, in particular and the whole country in general looked up to them and they felt compelled to assist.
Born and bred in Serutle, Butha Buthe, the twin sisters attended St Agnes High School and later on studied at the University of Johannesburg where they obtained degrees in Retail Marketing.
In 2010, the Thella twins launched TTwins Productions with three divisions; TTwins Sunglasses, TTwins Clothing and TTwins Promotions. The sunglasses are manufactured in Italy, catering for both adults and kids, while the clothing section offers a wide variety and assortment of T-shirts, head gear and hoodies.
“We have come across many passionate but struggling youngsters who, in some instances, were forced to use their cellphones to record their music,” she said.
“After seeing their dedication, we decided to meet them halfway by initiating this competition which identifies those with the potential of becoming stars.”
Matšeliso said the talent search was only open to budding artists and not those whose work had already been recorded.
“We are strictly looking for raw talent that has never been in the limelight or released any material because we believe they are the ones needing the most assistance,” she said.
“We have been receiving a lot of calls and messages from interested youths and the competition may turn out to be bigger than we thought.
“Since we will only have one winner from the shortlisted 30, we have invited prominent South African promoters and talent scouts to identify the best from the bunch.”
Matšeliso said the competition would be open to individuals or groups between the ages of 16 and 30, with the overall winner signing a contract with TTwins as the face of the brand. In the event that the eventual winner is a musician, they would clinch a recording deal with Dunamis’ KOL Productions for a professional demo and marketing for a year.
Participants, she said, would also get certificates and receive mentorship from professionals in their respective fields.
Tšeliso also chipped in saying their intention was to develop the starlets’ careers and put them on the map nationally and beyond.
“We are going to serve as the agents of the winner by making sure he or she gets the mentorship they need and covering all the costs related to their career throughout the year of the contract,” she said.
“We will also make bookings for perfomances in both Lesotho and South Africa. The event is going to cost us more than a M100 000, but we are willing to use all our resources to make it a success. We have knocked on many doors seeking assistance, but as of now, we only have Motlejoa BnB.
“Our biggest plea is for the government to pay more attention to the youth who are trying to make a living from their talents to escape the high unemployment rate.”
Tšeliso added that entrants below 18 years should bring their parents with them on Saturday to sign consent forms on their behalf.
