Close Up 1, the biggest ever musical talent hunt in Bangladesh was launched yesterday with the unveiling of the logo by Mr. Sanjiv Mehta, the Chairman and MD of Unilever Bangladesh Ltd. Mr. Mehta said that with Close Up 1, we are embarking upon a journey to fulfill the dreams of the young music talents of Bangladesh.

The youth symbolizes the future, hope and dreams of the nation and given a platform their talents will shine with all its brightness. He hopes that Close Up 1 will successfully encompass music, talent, hope and confidence to help the youth establish themselves.

The nation wide competition will be telecasted on NTV, the media partner for this grand event. Mr. Enayetur Rahman, the MD of NTV spoke on the occasion in support of such a pioneering event in Bangladesh.

Naushad Chowdhury, Brands Director of UBL, said that no other brand is better poised to take on the initiative other than youth brand Close Up, which knows the hopes and aspirations of the Bangladeshi youth. The concept of a youth contest was first tried in 2003. In its first year, Close Up 1 focused on fiction writing and fashion designing. The next year it was poetry and t-shirt designing. However, it was evident that music and youth were inseparable and certainly evokes best emotional connect. With this insight, this year a bigger, better and brighter Close Up 1 – a musical talent hunt was conceived. He hoped that this competition will present next generation of musical icons to the country and more importantly help instill self confidence amongst the thousands of youth who participate in the program.

Mr. Asif Iqbal, Marketing manager of UBL, described the modalities and the structure of the contest. Young Bangladeshis aged between 16-30 would be eligible to participate in the program by registering at the Call Center at 011 121123, or by logging on to the website, www.closeup1.com.

The preliminary screening will be held at 11 different locations across the country. . Eminent music personalities like Ahmed Imtiaz Bulbul, Kumar Bishawjeet, and Shakila Zafar, have agreed to be part of the jury. In addition to the judges, the viewers will also participate in the joint selection process by casting their votes through sms. Citycell has already given their consent, and support from other leading phone companies are expected to come through to use telecommunication services in this regard.

An intensive promotional campaign involving television, newspaper, posters, billboards, web site and non-traditional media is being launched to ensure grand success of the event. Asiatic Marketing Communications Ltd., the creative partner for this competition, was represented by Mr. Ali Zaker the Chairman of the company. The champion will win a five lakh taka Album contract, a car, and a four-day trip abroad for two. In addition, the winners will be part of major concerts at home and abroad along with major artists of Bangladesh.

The Close Up team sought the support of the media, the music fraternity and the music loving people of the nation to make this competition a grand success.

Edited by Nahidul Haq
Courtesy to
CloseUp 1 & The Daily Star