FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FIRST TIME EVER IN SINGAPORE!
‘REPUBLIC IDOL’ HITS REPUBLIC POLYTECHNIC WITH
SPECIAL GUEST APPEARANCE BY TAIWANESE POP GROUP,
MINI & GU-ER AS PART OF FM93.3’S CAMPUS CONCERT SERIES

SINGAPORE – 22 MARCH 2004 – In the wake of the wildly successful talent contest that has captivated audiences worldwide, “Republic Idol” will be broadcasting its way to Republic Polytechnic in the first ever such competition held for its students. Contestants from The Republic’s pioneer batch of students will showcase their talents on stage either in the solo or group category. Judges will pick one final winner from seven finalists, after two pre-qualifying rounds in the second and third week of March respectively.

Contestants will score points based on the following criteria: vocal talent (60%), performance (20%), originality (10%) and audience interaction (10%). The top three winners will walk away with $150, $100 and $75 HMV vouchers respectively. A special merit prize of a $50 HMV voucher will also be given out depending on the audience’s vote for the most popular singer.

“We are most pleased to have the support from FM 93.3 as well as EQ Music to enable us to add more excitement to our very own homegrown Republic Idol show,” enthuses Dr Gan Su-lin, Deputy Director, Centre for Culture and Communication. She adds, “Perhaps through this avenue, we can encourage more of our young people to realise their innate talents and develop them musically even further.”

Lending that extra celebrity factor to the finals on 23 March is the half hour guest appearance by newly released Taiwanese pop group, Mini and Gu-er. This is in conjunction with FM 93.3’s Campus Concert series which sees various artistes performing at different institutions around Singapore. Handling this performance is the record company, EQ Music, which aims to promote this newcomer girl group locally to rival the popularity levels of S.H.E with 10 campus concerts and album promotion sessions in Singapore and Malaysia.

A promotional drive about this performance will be driven by FM 93.3, which includes running a radio contest for listeners to get tickets to view the performance at The Republic. A DJ from FM 93.3 will be hosting the segment of the special performance by Mini and Gu-er. Chinese entertainment I-Weekly will also be present to cover the event.

This event is kindly brought to you with the support of Shell, as part of its active community outreach programme and long-standing commitment in helping to develop the nation’s most precious resource – its people.

For more information, kindly contact the following persons:

Evelyn NG
Centre for Culture and Communication
DID: 6376 8166
Email: evelyn_ng@rp.edu.sg

LIM Le-Anne
Office of Corporate Communications
DID: 6376 8012
Email: lim_le_anne@rp.edu.sg