Entries close soon for MTV pan-Asian talent search

Time is ticking away for wannabe pop stars to try their chances at Project Aloft Star, MTV and the Aloft hotel chain’s pan-Asian talent search.

Participants have until Monday, Aug. 21 to submit their music for a chance at the big prize: a U.S $10,000 career cash injection and a services deal with Believe Distribution, which includes mentorship, marketing and, of course, distribution.

Australian-based artists are bunched in a “cluster” with performers from Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand for a chance at the money. The shortlist is decided by a public vote, then whittled down further an MTV-appointed panel (musos from Greater China and South Korea will face off in their own, separate clusters).

Four finalists from each cluster will then battle it out for the prize at an Aloft Hotel at an unspecified time in late October to early November.

Organizers ask for an original performance sent in via a SoundCloud or YouTube link with some additional blurb on the artist and background on the song.

Each original entry gets a single released across the various digital music platforms via TuneCore, a partner in the comp.

Project Aloft Star is another path to the spotlight, albeit with a much smaller purse than those offered by commercial TV properties such as 'The Voice Australia' and 'X Factor Australia,' both of which dangle major label contracts.

Singaporean-based singer Soph Retief won the 2016 competition, though she has yet to gain much traction across her social media channels.

Read about the competition here.