Max Life Insurance ‘i-genius Young Singing Stars’ Grand Finale showcases brilliant talent

Shradha Shreya & Shivam Ahuja two winners get an album contract with Universal Music Group

Delhi. Max Life Insurance, one of the leading life insurers in India and leading music label Universal Music India, today concluded a spectacular ‘i-genius Young Singing Stars’ event in Mumbai. The grand finale witnessed outstanding performances by the 10 finalists. The 10 were chosen from 1.26 lakhs participants. The day turned out to be mesmerizing with a star studded jury including, Salim Merchant & Shraddha Sharma. The two winner’s Shrada Shreya, amongst the seniors & Shivam Ahuja amongst the juniors won an album contract whilst the 8 finalists won ‘single song’ contract with Universal Music Group.

Max Life Insurance ‘i-genius Young Singing Stars’ programme was launched as a nationwide search for young singing talent. This unique competition provided exciting platform for aspiring and talented young singing stars, giving children aged between 8- 15 years the opportunity to have their songs heard by industry professionals and a chance to have their own music album. Through a rigorous three phase selection process the panel of jury shortlisted many top performers. The video conferencing round resulted in the final short listing to top 10 who went through mentoring sessions with Salim Merchant and Shraddha Sharma.

Commenting on the programme Mr. Rajesh Sud CEO and Managing Director, Max Life Insurance said, “We believe that nurturing young talent is the best investment one can make to build a secure and brighter future for India. We had launched the i-genius programme in 2010 and are glad that this property has become a benchmark initiative in the country to recognize young talent. Since its inception, we have connected with over 20 lakh children across the country through our i-genius Scholarship and Young Authors Hunt programme and we hope to contribute towards nurturing the imagination of the young minds. We feel privileged today as we conclude the i-genius Young Singing Stars.”
Speaking on the occasion, Ms Anisha Motwani, Director & Chief Marketing Officer said, “i-genius Young Singing Stars is a unique programme that celebrates, recognizes and rewards young talent. We had decided that this platform will be available to all children who dream big and aspire to achieve greater heights. Out of 1.26 lakh entries, 9,000 plus entries were by under-privileged children as a result of a special inclusion drive conducted by Max Life in 7 cities. It gives us a feeling of satisfaction when we see these children coming one step closer to their dreams.”

Commenting on the occasion, Devraj Sanyal, Managing Director – Universal Music Group and EMI South Asia said “this is the most amazing talent I have witnessed in my career. These Young Singing Stars are truly the future of India and we at Universal & EMI are proud to be an integral part of the process of discovering and nurturing these future stars. I am excited and eagerly waiting to start recording their albums and singles and introduce these Young Singing Stars to the world at large.”

About i-genius Young Singing Stars
‘i-genius Young Singing Stars aims to recognize, reward and nurture young singing talent in the country in association with Universal Music Group. India’s musical sensations Salim Merchant and Shraddha Sharma are the brand ambassadors and jury for this programme. The participation for igenius Young Singing Stars was open to all children from 8 years to 15 year of age in two categories: igenius Junior – 8 – 11 yrs and i-genius Senior – 12-15 yrs, from government-recognized schools including private, public or national open schools/home schools all over India and also NRI kids, resident in India for the duration of the programme. The programme was designed in four phases-:

Phase 1: Interested participants can register online at www.igenius.org or physical registration forms available at all Max Life offices
The above was followed by a one minute audio submission on IVR number or via an online widget on www.igenius.org
Phase 2: Digital Auditions were be held in select cities in each region through video-conferencing which were evaluated by the jury
Phase 3: 10 selected kids were receive mentoring from the Brand Ambassadors
Phase 4 (Finale): After receiving training from the mentors, the kids will perform at a grand finale event where 1 winner will be selected from each group and will win an album recording contract with Universal Music Group and 4 finalists from each group will win a contract for a single song. Also 500 winners will receive CD Hampers as consolation prizes