Norway-based telecoms firm Telenor Myanmar announced the three finalists of its Tune Star Contest last week. The young music enthusiasts are from Kayin and Yangon and were selected from over 8,500 entries from across the country.
The public now has the opportunity to vote for their favourite tune, which will be used as Telenor’s audio identity when the company launches its mobile network in September. Voting started on August 12 and will continue until August 19.
Those who vote will have the chance to win in a lucky draw of 100 mobile handsets worth K100,000 ($105). The voting process will take place on Telenor Myanmar’s official Facebook page – www.facebook.com/TelenorMyanmar – where the voters can listen to the recordings of the three shortlisted tunes. Voters can also call the Tune Star hotline on 012 399 678 or by sending an SMS with their chosen winner – “S1”, “S2” or “S3” – to 18877.
One of the finalists, 24-year-old El Nay Htoo is from Hpa An, a town of 50,000 people in Kayin state. After finding out about the contest on Facebook, he composed the tune on the piano and submitted his song digitally from his home town.
El Nay Htoo said, “I am incredibly excited about being selected as a finalist and the possibility of my tune becoming the audio identity of Telenor. It would be an honour for me, as a member of the Hpa-An community, to create a tune that will be heard by people nationwide.”
Lynn Myat Aung, 21, the finalist from Yangon’s Pazundaung township, created his tune on a guitar, composed it through digital audio software on his computer and submitted it through one of Telenor’s September point of sales.
He said, “This tune means a lot to me because my brother and I worked on composing and recording it together. My family and friends at home are so excited that I have been selected as a finalist. I have become more confident and have decided to follow my passion if I win.”
25-year-old finalist Thaw Zin Hein from Hlaing township, Yangon, also submitted through one of Telenor’s sales partners.
He said, “I composed my submission on a guitar and recorded it at home myself. I can’t believe my homegrown melody has made it to the finals. I have always followed music as it is my passion and I feel like my hard work is finally being recognized. It is great to have a competition that everyone can join and be a part of.”
The three finalists had the opportunity to work with some of Myanmar’s celebrated musicians to record their shortlisted melody in a professional studio in Yangon. The musicians, Lynn Lynn, Deramo and Khin Myat Mon, were also the judges for the contest alongside eight select Telenor employees.
“We are happy that Telenor has organised the Tune Star Contest as it is an excellent platform for everyone in Myanmar to showcase our passion for music and creativity. I’ve had the opportunity of a sneak preview of the three shortlisted tunes and they were all of really high calibre. I look forward to hearing which tune the people of Myanmar eventually select as the first mobile music star,” said Ko Aung Zayar Maung, manager of Legacy Music Academy Myanmar.
The winner of the nationwide contest will win K10 million and become Myanmar’s first mobile music star. The winning tune will be played across the country as an exclusive audio identity for Telenor when the telecoms company launches mobile services in September.
The tune will be featured wherever customers encounter and use Telenor’s services, which means that people across Myanmar will hear the melody as a ring tune, in automated messages or when they call the Telenor call centre.
