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Opening Act: Reality TV series for aspiring artistes

Posted: 07 Oct 2012 02:17 AM PDT

Reality talent series Opening Act helps aspiring artistes launch their music careers.

KYLIE Morgan was 12 when she first picked up a guitar.

Her grandfather had given her the guitar – a little pink one – perhaps meant as a present simply to make the girl's day. Little did he know that Morgan, who would spend hours playing it and then posting videos of her performances on YouTube, would one day share the stage with country music star Jason Aldean.

All that came to fruition when TV host Olivia Lee surprised the now 17-yeard-old Morgan with news that she had been chosen to open Aldean's concert. The catch? They only have five days to prep, and they need to be part of a reality TV series called Opening Act.

Opening Act basically plucks unknown (and unsigned) artistes from YouTube and pair them with some of today's most popular music acts.

"The minute the Web came about, kids don't need producers and broadcasters anymore. They record themselves, they put themselves up (online) and the world either buys it or doesn't; they either get hits or they don't," Opening Act executive producer Nigel Lythgoe explained in an e-mail interview.

"I was constantly thinking of how I could make use of this tool. Then a guy called Steve Schnur came into my office and said, 'I've got this idea about searching the Web and coming up with opening acts for stars' and I thought what a great idea!" he continued.

Just like that, the show was conceived. And just like that, Morgan and many more budding artistes like her are a step closer to entering the door into the music industry that is usually hard to get through.

On each episode, after the lucky protégés are treated to a surprise message from their music idols, they immediately board a plane, heading straight to a studio in Los Angeles, California. There, they meet Lythgoe along with music producer Antonina Armato and vocal coach Nick Cooper, who scramble to prep these wide-eyed dreamers for their fast-approaching opening performance.

Then, with an assuring pat from their superstar mentors, it's make-it-or-break-it time. Instead of sitting on a couch, singing while strumming a guitar in front of a Webcam, the new talents will have to perform in front of a live audience, and there's no telling how the crowd will respond.

"It's not a competition, nobody auditions and nobody gets sent home. It isn't 'pack your suitcase, you're going home this week because America voted and you got knocked out', (there's) none of that," Lythgoe said, adding that this is what sets the show apart from other reality-based talent shows. He also said that it serves to give an opportunity to young talents.

In an interview with The Oklahoman, Morgan also lauded the show for its unique approach in finding new artistes. "There are no auditions, there are no judges ... In a sense, we've already all won. You know, we've gotten the chance and the experience of a lifetime," she was quoted as saying.

Morgan, who has performed with other country acts like Steel Magnolia, The JaneDear Girls and Ty England, also stated: "It was definitely the biggest stage I've ever performed on. I'm not used to the big lights and the big sound and all those people. It was an overwhelming experience."

It's a good thing Morgan has had some experience entertaining a live crowd. However, one may second-guess the artistes that don't. Putting an amateur artiste whose only experience of performing "in front" of anything is via the social media platform, can be a real cause for concern. To begin with, many YouTube singers rely on the "auto-tune" function to garner views. Even if they aren't auto-tuned, there is more to an artiste than just a good voice. Stage presence, charisma and spontaneity all come into play, and unfortunately, it's hard to tell if these web-born vocalists have that.

"It was a risk and we saw little cases like this in the group where one of the kid sounds like a bag of cats being thrown off the Empire State Building at one point," Lythgoe spoke candidly. However, he assured viewers that, "They sorted it out and performed on the night when it counts most."

Another apprehension one may have about the new show is whether it can truly springboard one's career. After all, these singers only appear in one episode. Viewers can barely get acquainted with them. To this, Lithgoe responded, "The idea of the show is not to provide the opening acts with overnight international success, it's a stepping stone for them to pave their career path. It will be interesting to see who grabs that with both hands and moves forward in their musical careers."

Luckily for Morgan, since her stint with Aldean she has landed a recording contract with Land Run Records, and is slated to release an album later this year.

Apart from Aldean, viewers can also expect to see Nicki Minaj, Jason Mraz, Lady Gaga, Brad Paisley, Martina McBride, LMFAO and Gym Class Heroes take these up-and-coming artistes under their wings.

Opening Act airs every Sunday at 5.30pm and 11pm on E! (Astro Ch 712).

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

Sabtu, 6 Oktober 2012