Pop Star Wanna-be Causes Storm At Auditions

MONKAGEDI GAOTLHOBOGWE
Staff Writer | Monday January 11, 2010 00:00

 

The aspiring singer, who introduced herself to the judges as Tebo, sounded to be cruising with wavy pitches in the middle of her choice song, but it was her use of waves in her singing styles that seemed to irk the judges.

The formal looking singer, who said she hailed from Thamaga and Mochudi, was told she would not proceed to the next stage because her singing was out of harmony. She could not take that and immediately told the judges she was not leaving the stage until she had been given a chance to sing again. ' I want to sing again, I'm not going anywhere...please, I need this, and I have to sing again...'

One of the judges and owner of the show, Master D Sesinyi, thought he had solved the problem when he told her she could fix her mistakes  at the next auditions in Lobatse, but the young woman said she was not in a position to part with another P200 again. Two other judges also attempted to show her mistakes, and why she could not  proceed, but  Tebo would have none of it, and demanded to  sing once more.

As the argument between the judges and the aspiring singer seemed to go on endlessly, one of the judges, DJ Sid announced to the crew to call in security guards to drag the woman away.

Tebo could not stand the mention of the security guards, and announced, ' You don't have to do that', as she walked away in haste.

Tebo might not have benefited from her persuasions, but the judges seemed more lenient after the drama, as they allowed one Kerabetse to proceed to the next round after she pleaded with the judging panel.

Kearabetse sounded quite talented but one of the judges was unhappy with her short song such that she wondered why the song was so short. It was at that juncture that Kearabetse told the judges how she deserved to be given another chance to sing a different song, '  I am a mother of two, my kids have to see me, please let me sing another song that will show my voice'. However, she was told that in fact she sang her short song very well and that she had made it to the next round.

However, one of the previous contestants in the show, one Keba of Pilikwe, failed to make the cut this time around despite the fact that the last time he tried his luck he actually made it to  another round.

Another contestant, Ogolo, who is trying her luck for the fourth time, made it to the next round, nonetheless. Thandeka, another previous aspirant, sang  ' I'm not the foolish girl you used to know by Whitney Houston, only to be told she did not make it.

The auditioning girls included a singer who featured in an album by BK Proctor last year.Stephanie Johnson, has done two songs for BK Proctor, including an R&B  song for BK Proctor Vol.2 album.

At the time of going to press, about 20 had auditioned by lunch-time, with about 200 singers scheduled for auditions that day. Observers say in the past Gaborone auditions have averaged 80 singers.