THE ALOFT brand and global youth brand MTV revealed After Acoustics as the India winner of the third annual Asia Pacific edition of music talent discovery competition Project Aloft Star, Amplified by MTV. The competition aims to identify and support the hottest emerging music acts throughout four clusters spanning nine markets Greater China (China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan), India, South Korea, and Southeast Asia (Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand). More than 600,000 online votes were cast and over 500 original song entries were published this year. These figures represent year-on-year increases of over 50% for the number of entries published and over 15% for the number of online votes cast.
Now in its third year, the competition kicked off on 1 June and culminated in the finals for the India cluster held over the weekend at Aloft Bengaluru Cessna Business Park. After Acoustics performed alongside four other finalists - When Chai Met Toast, Rohit Vasudevan Diaries, Muhfaad and Abhishek Sharma, in front of a live audience and a panel of judges.
“We're so happy to be the India winner of Project Aloft Star, amplified by MTV. We had a wonderful night and received great hospitality. Thank you MTV and Aloft!” said After Acoustics.
As part of the prize package, After Acoustics walked away with US$10,000 cash prize and will be profiled in MTV Seen and individual winner vignettes to be featured on the competition website projectaloftstar.mtvasia.com. In addition to this, they also get to embark on a 5 city tour with Mixtape, India's premier artist management company.
“Aloft is a brand built for early adopters who seek the newest trends in technology, design and music,” said Vincent Ong, Senior Brand Director, Asia Pacific Brand Management, Marriott International. “Since its introduction three years ago, Project Aloft Star has seen remarkable success in identifying the next generation of talent showcasing Asia at its best through original music representing the cultural and social diversity that is so rich in this region. With the music competition growing immensely stronger into its third year, Aloft Hotels has set itself apart in the hospitality industry as the leading platform for supporting talented musicians.”
“It’s heartening to see continued strong interest and support from fans and aspiring talents for the third Project Aloft Star, Amplified by MTV competition. Congratulations to the winners! A big thank you to everyone who voted and sent in their entries. The judges had a challenging and enjoyable job evaluating the submissions and finalists’ performances. It’s been great for MTV to partner with Aloft to increase visibility of these talented musicians and grow the appreciation of the music scene in the region. We hope this competition will motivate and inspire those in the field to keep creating and performing their music,” said Paras Sharma, Senior Vice President & General Manager, Southeast Asia, Viacom International Media Networks.
The finalists were evaluated on music composition and song-writing skills, international appeal, originality and creativity, technical skill, “wow” factor, showmanship, and stage presence. The judging panel comprised the following representatives from Aloft, MTV, and music industry experts: Faiz Alam Ansari, General Manager, Aloft Bengaluru Cessna Business Park; Jagjit Singh, Head of Music Content, MTV India; Jastirath (Jesse) Julka, Senior Manager, Content Acquisition, Promotion and Syndication, Artist Aloud, Hungama Digital Media Entertainment; Naveen Deshpande, Founder, Mixtape; Priyanka Bhattacharya, Founding Partner and Business Director, Curious Mind Entertainment.
The finals for the Southeast Asia competition cluster will take place on 7 October at Aloft Bangkok Sukhumvit 11.
