01.        Why this competition?
Music is ingrained in the Bangladeshi culture. There is also an abundance of musical talents in our country. All they need is a platform to express themselves which this year’s Closeup 1 will provide them. Closeup after all, is a brand for the youth.

02.        How did the concept come up?
The Closeup 1 team went all over the nation, covered both urban and rural parts and came to the understanding that the passion for music transcends all age, class and gender. It has been also found that the youth feel there is a lack of platform to prove their talent. Thus, this year’s Closeup 1 gives the youth a chance to prove themselves.

03.        How is this year’s Closeup 1 competition different from other singing competitions?
This year’s Closeup 1 is the biggest musical talent hunt in this country and is geared to generate nation-wide excitement. It is all about promoting Bangladeshi singing talents.

This grand event will be aired on TV and in the final round, the audience’ votes will be combined with the panel of judges’ votes to determine the winner.

04.        Will there be more changes the next time?
The youth of this nation is evolving and so is the Closeup brand! Thus depending on the demand and taste of the youth of Bangladesh the event may evolve in the years to come.

05.        Is this year’s Closeup 1 only a competition or a TV show?
This is purely a competition supported by television. The TV part will actually enhance the competition. On one hand it will have greater credibility, since the viewers will not only get to witness every part of the competition, but will also take part in the judgment. On the other hand it will heighten competitiveness among the participants, as they will be inspired to deliver good performance in front of the entire nation.

06.        For how long will the Closeup 1 show continue?
The entire show will last for approximately five months, but the television show will continue for approximately four months.

07.        What will be the process of the Closeup 1 competition?
We got an overwhelming response from all over Bangladesh. Initially the process will entail screening thousands of applications in 10 centers all over the country.
Around 1000 participants chosen from the audition will come to a central location in Dhaka for selection round where approximately 120 will go next rounds. They will have to undergo a number of rounds to prove their singing talent. Each successive round will demand more skill and better performance from the participants. At this advanced stage we will invite the audience to participate through SMS in the selection process.

08.        How is confidence a factor here?
Closeup is all about confidence and the brand promotes confidence in everyday life. Confidence is also a crucial factor to prove one’s talent or for success of any sort. Unfortunately the youth of Bangladesh has talent but lacks confidence. This again is due to the lack of platforms which does not allow them to show off their talent. Thus, Closeup 1 is here to provide the participants with a platform which will build on their confidence.

09.  Who are the organizers of the Closeup 1 competition?
Closeup, the youth brand of Unilever is the organizer of the competition. NTV is the media partner who will also air the TV show. Adcomm Ltd. is the creative partner and Market Access Providers Ltd. is the activation partner. Other partners of closeup1 include Radio Today as Radio Partner, Bangladesh Info as web partner and AKTel as registration partner.

10.  What are the jury selection criteria?
The members of the jury have had a great impact on the music scene of the country. They have been able to do this through years of training in the field of music and through their versatile personality which they have successfully integrated in their music career. Another criterion considered was to have the members of the jury from different fields of music (i.e. jury panel is a mixture of singers and music director)

Queries on Audition & Selection Round
 
01.        What is the sequence of the locations that will be covered?
Audition round will begin in Chittagong and continue as per the following list :

• Chittagong
• Comilla
• Kustia
• Barisal
• Khulna
• Rajshahi
• Rangpur
• Mymensing
• Sylhet
• Dhaka

02.        How will the participants know about the time and venue of the audition for each location?
Time and venue for the participants are given during registration and also announced in leading national dailies and on NTV. As for the other locations (foreign locations), details of time and venue will be announced according to the above sequence in NTV and email addresses of registered NRB contestants.

03.        What happens if a participant fails to see the announcements of time and venue in the newspaper?
The best way to stay updated about the audition schedule is to check the official Closeup 1 website www.closeup1.com. In addition, schedules will be published in selected leading national dailies. Dates will also be announced on NTV. So keep your eyes on the TV screen.

04.        What happens once a participant arrives at the venue for Audition?

Step 1:
The participants will be asked to queue up in front of the registration booths (number of booths at each venue is 2). At this booth, the participant will be asked for his/her registration number and other details which will be compared with details in the Closeup 1 registration database. If the details match then the participant will be given an identification card containing his/her registration number and serial number.
In case a participant gives incorrect registration number or if other details do not match, then the participant will not be allowed to go through.

Step 2:
After a participant is given an I.D. card in the registration booth, he/she must wait in a waiting room outside the main audition booths (there will be 3 audition judges panel at each venue). Participants will be invited to audition on a first come first serve basis. Neither the participant nor the judges will be able to know from beforehand whom they will be facing.

Step 3:
When a participant is selected by the audition judges for the next round, he/she will be given a brief on the requirements, time and venue for the Selection round. The participant will also be given a certificate and a picture of the participant will be taken which will be retained by Closeup 1 authority for verification purpose in next round. In the Selection round, the participant must bring along his/.her I.D. containing registration and serial number and the certificate.
In case a participant is unable to make it through the audition round, he/she will have to leave through an exit and cannot come back to the waiting room.

05.        What songs can be sung in the audition round? On what criteria will the audition judges be judging?
In the audition round the participants can sing only Bangladeshi Bangla songs. In this round, he/she will be given the opportunity to sing a song of his/her choice. The audition judges advise the participants to pick a song that he/she can perform best.

The audition judges will be judging the participant on voice, tune, rhythm, pronunciation and expression.

06.        As for the selection round, what song should be sung and what will be the judging criteria?
In the selection round, the same rule applies as the audition round i.e. the participant can sing a song of his/her choice and not necessarily the same song he/she has sung in the previous round.
In this round the judges will be judging on the previous parameters (voice, tune, rhythm, pronunciation and expression) and in addition they will be looking for overall performance.

07.        When will the audition and selection rounds be telecast on television (NTV)?
The Closeup Team shall start airing the Closeup1 program as soon as possible. Nonetheless, the Grand Finale will be aired on NTV Live.

08.        Can a female participant perform a song by a male singer or vice versa? What about duet songs?
The judges discourage a female participant to choose a song by a male singer or the other way round because a song sung by a male singer and one sung by a female singer is of different scale. It is better if a female participant chooses to sing a song by a female singer and a male participant chooses a song by a male singer. If a participant wishes to sing a duet song solely, he/she may do so. However, the final choice of song lies with the contestant.

09.        What happens to the participants on the waiting list?
Those participants on the waiting list do not need to come to the venue on the audition because they will not be allowed to take part in the audition. Once all the audition for the different locations ends and if the quota for a certain location is still incomplete, then participants from the waiting list will be called upon to a central location in Dhaka for a special audition.
We cannot give assurance that all those on the waiting list will be allowed to take part in the audition.

10.        How can a participant understand if he/she is on the waiting list?
A participant can understand if he/she in on the waiting list if the first digit of his/her registration number is “WTN”.

11.        Can the participants bring a guardian along to the venue?
Persons accompanying the participants will not be allowed inside the venues due to security reasons and will have to be waiting outside for some hours. Knowing this, it is the participants’ discretion whether he/she wants to bring along anyone to the venues.

Answers to Queries for Selection and following rounds to be held in Dhaka

01.        What are the next steps for participants who have made it through the audition and selection round?
After the audition and selection rounds are over in all the 10 locations, the next round will be held at a central location in Dhaka. This round will begin sometime at the end of April. Time, venue, date and further details of this round will be announced in due time.
                                                                                                                              
02.        Who will bear the traveling and accommodation costs?
The participants who will come to Dhaka for the next round will have to arrange their own traveling and accommodation costs. However each participant will be given a certain amount of allowance on a daily basis. This amount will be communicated in due time.

05.         What must the participant carry to the venue?
The participant must carry the following to the venue:
 
•           Proof of age by means of a birth certificate, educational certificate, passport, etc. If a participant does not have any of the above then he/she will be allowed to use a notarized document or other appropriate legal document
•           Proof of citizenship by means of a birth certificate, passport, national ID card or any other notarized document or other appropriate legal document
•           4 passport sized photographs + 4 stamp sized photographs
•           Certificate that was given to him/her after the selection round
Note: Participants under the age of 18 must bring a letter of approval signed by his/her parents/guardian