What is Urban Superstars?
We're searching this great city of Manchester for the best talent in young urban music. We know from experience that Manchester has some of the best mcs, rappers and vocalists in the country - and we want to help you get your talent out there and be heard!
The most talented urban music artists from across the city came to audition at the Town Hall on the Sunday 6th August. [More details here]
We chose the best 30 acts to perform again for our panel of judges on 9th August - and from there we will find the best 8 acts to be this year's finalists. They will go through our 6-week development process with professional vocal and performance training to get them ready for the final showcase competition.
This year's final is at the Apollo on the 29th September - get your tickets early! This one is going to be huge!
30th September
Demz is pronounced winner of US06! At the end of a fantastic show, the panel of judges crowned Demz Urban Superstar of 2006. They put SBD in second, and Militant Frontline came third.
The show was a huge success with all 8 artists really stepping up their game to perform in front of a packed house at the Apollo. The crowd were great, really supporting all the acts and enjoying the host, Kat B. With the live band and dance crew, huge screen and massive sound system - this night was one to remember.
Just make sure you get a hold of the DVD which'll be out towards the end of the month! And get pracitcing for next year!
29th September
The Final is tonight! It's been a long time coming - but tonight's show at the Manchester Apollo is going be massive! With our 8 final acts performing and hoping to be crowned this year's urban superstar/s - you'd best be there to show your support!
Doors open at 7pm - and there'll be plenty of buses available to get you back into town afterwards. No excuses - get down and support Manchester's top urban music talent!
23rd September
Sneak preview of this year's album! Go right to the music page to get a sneak preview of this year's album - i'm tellin you, it's weighty! The album will be available at the final for the bargain price of £4.
You'll also be able to pick up a tshirt for the same price, but numbers are limited, so make sure you're at the front of the queue!
19th September
Promo photos are online! We've got all our finalists promotional photos up on the website - check them out on the finalist page. Look out for flyers and posters and support your favourite finalists!
5th September
Less than 4 weeks to go! Our finalists are busy in the studio perfecting their tracks, all the publicity is going to print, the cd manufacturers are warming up their machines in preparation... This year's final is going to be big! Time is running out so make sure you book your tickets soon - don't miss out!
2nd September
New Islington Cancelled! Manchester's world-famous weather defeated the organisers of the New Islington festival today, and our finalists didn't get to perform. It's rumoured that they went for lunch instead.
1st September
Live Pre-Final Show Tomorrow! The New Islington Festival takes place tomorrow, and some of our finalists will be performing! Come along and check it out - it's free! Click here for more info
23rd August
Photoshoots almost all done! We've had 6 of our 8 final acts in for their photoshoots this week - look out for their official photos and promotional materials soon!
15th August
Photos of Callbacks now up! Go check them out!
10th August
We've got our finalists! The Callbacks day was incredible! The talent on display from Manchester's young people was extraordinary - the judges had to take 7 hours to see everyone and make their final decision!
We'll let you know who they are very soon! Keep checking back for up-to-date news
8th August
Photos of Auditions now up! Go check them out on the Auditions Page.
7th August
Yesterday's auditions were a great success! The quality and number of acts were better than we've ever had - well done! We chose 33 acts to come to a secret location this Wednesday to hear them again, this time with backing tracks - from here we'll pick this year's finalists!
If you didn't make it through this year, don't worry! There's always plenty of music provision across the city - get in touch with your nearest Manchester Youth Service Centre to hook you up with whatever you need.
4th August
Judge replacement! Rachel McFarlane will not be judging this year's auditions - there'll be a special guest sitting in alongside Michael Salmon and Jo Price.
1st August
New music page is up - download tracks from previous year's albums, or launch the standalone player to listen while you're on the internet!
23rd July
Only two weeks to go til the auditions! Get practicing!
16th July
New website goes live! Come back here often for the latest news and all the info you could want.
12th July
Publicity flyers and posters have started going out across the city - look out for them to get the details... and get practicing!