“MSU Idol” is back.Over the next few weeks, a select few Mississippi State students will compete in a musical talent competition in the tradition of “American Idol.”
The performances will be held Monday nights at the caf in Barnes & Noble.
Though 10 competitors were chosen in Thursday’s audition, only one will emerge victorious. The stakes are even higher this year, as the victor will win not only a cash prize, but also an all-expenses-paid trip to a real “American Idol” audition.
While the onstage performers have their share of nail-biting work cut out for them, the Campus Activities Board, which brings the competition to MSU each year, has its own work load.
“It’s becoming [a lot of work],” Patrick Young, coffeehouse entertainment division head of CAB said. “Between the interviews, auditions, publicity, prizes, getting a venue, getting sound set up and paperwork, it’s a nice little chore. It’ll be worth it though.”
The competition is set up similar to “American Idol,” with a vocal panel of judges casting votes.
The judges include MSU professors, and CAB hopes to get one or two vocal judges, Young said.
Also like “American Idol,” the audience will have their say in who moves on and who is eliminated.
“The judges will have their input and their vote, and the audience will have their input and their vote,” said Bekah Buckley, entertainment division head of CAB. “We’ll put them together.”
Throughout the competition, many styles spanning genres and decades will be explored.
“We’ll have themes every week,” Young said. “We’ll have everything from disco songs to the year [the competitors] were born to Elvis and the Beatles. And they can play an instrument. They pick their song from that week’s theme.
“We have a great range of students, from an 18-year-old freshman girl all the way up to a 38-year-old senior,” she added.
“Everybody will get a chance to show off their talent,” Buckley said.
Apart from the grand prize, there is an array of other prizes being offered to competitors.
“Right now we’ve gotten donations from Aspen Bay Candles, the Purple Elephant, Applebee’s and a few gift cards,” Buckley said. “We’ve got a big variety.”
One of the biggest stages of the competition takes place outside of the public eye at private auditions. About 20 competitors try out, but only 10 get the chance to compete in the public competition.
One auditioning student for “MSU Idol” is freshman English major Landon Bryant. Bryant entered the contest in response to a friend’s encouragement.
“I wouldn’t have normally done it, but [my friends] said ‘Go try it,'” said Bryant. “I think it’s going to be fun. I think it will be a good way to get involved on campus and a good way to meet people.”
Bryant, who has performed for an audience before, said he’s not stressed, though he is prepared for a high level of competition.
“I don’t normally get nervous about things like this,” Bryant said. “I hope there’s some really good competition, and I think there will be, knowing the people around here.”
“It’ll be really interesting because it is students of the university competing to share their talents with everybody,” Buckley said. “They don’t want to sing to the books. They want to sing to other students. We want them to know that students here support them.”
The public competitions will take place each Monday from Jan. 29 to Feb. 19 at 8 p.m. All competitions will be held in Barnes & Noble except the final, which will take place in Lee Hall Auditorium.