Auditions for e.tv's Popstars fire up in Durbs this weekend, tomorrow (21 August) and Sunday - at Gateway. They move to Cape Town next weekend, to Jozi the weekend after and wrap in Pretoria on 12 September.
To get into the pop of them I caught up with Martin Phike: the show's host and winner of the series a.k.a former member of winning group Ghetto Lingo, who won the 2004 season of the series when it was on SABC.
As someone who's been through it all I reckoned he'd defs have tips to share if you're thinking of auditioning -
and a lot of reality dirrrt to spill ... as you'll see, he does:
Tashi: What are your top three tips for people going to the auditions?
Martin: Very simple, very basic - choose the right song for your voice range, number two: remember the key you're gonna sing in and obviously remember the lyrics to the song when you get into the audition room. So, your range, your key and don't forget the words.
Tashi: And obviously, no Whitney Houston, ha.
Martin: Stay away from songs like *sings* ... "Mama, oooh-oooooooh". Stay away from I Believe I Can Fly, stay away from Whitney Houston 'cos the range of the music of that time was just dangerous. Just choose a song that you're comfortable with and
hit it.
Tashi: What can auditionees expect from the whole show?
Martin: Popstars has been gone for six years so I'm expecting to see a lot of people at the auditions. We've gone back to the original Popstar idea, which is Popstars classic, the one which had 101. It's gonna be done by the book as it was the first time.
The contestants themselves need to be very ready because we're looking for something different, something vibrant, something fresh. Obviously you're gonna have me in your face all the time, asking you how you're feeling - even though I saw you crack up in your auditions.
We're not gonna hide anything, we're pulling out all the stops. We've got e.tv with us and they said: "Guys just go ahead and give us a great reality show."
Tashi: A criticism of group talent searches and Popstars in particular is that the winning group's don't stick together and last. A group wins and then everyone decides to go solo or in different directions - the same thing happened to Ghetto Lingo - why?
Martin: That's right, with Popstars it's manufactured groups - I'd like to bring it home, in our case, as Ghetto Lingo, you had four guys from different and vast backgrounds.
What I mean is I'm from a background where, when you finish using the toilet: put the seat down, I'm just giving a very simple example - and then you find someone who'll just go and piss all over the place - sorry for my English and whatever.
Also, for example S'bu, he was Zulu, Philemon was Tswana, I'm Xhosa, Bjorn is Afrikaans so you have all these diverse cultures in the house, but anyway we got over that - we're guys, we don't complain about things like that but I just think that as we moved on with the show we all expected to be really big from the onset.
We thought like: "Popstars, this is it, we're gonna make our millions, we're gonna have women all over the place," - that was the focus then anyway and the whole thing didn't turn out that way.
At that point the whole solo thing started to creep in and I thought: "You know what? I can actually do this by myself," and once that starts to happen in a group setup the vision shifts and people start pulling in different directions.
That's what happened to us hey. I mean no love lost, we're still friends, we're still boys, we just understand that we couldn't make it.
Then you look at a group like Jamali (runners-up in the season won by Ghetto Lingo). When they were in the house they were at each other throats all the time but what I love about them and commend them for is that they put their differences aside to become the longest lasting Popstars group in South Africa.
Look at their fruits today, they went on to win a well-deserved SAMA, I think they're the best group vocalists in South Africa. They've kept it together, so there is the possibility that groups can stay together if they just put their differences aside.
Another thing, for instance myself - I came from Cape Town, I'd never experienced the kind of life, none of us had, you know you've got all this stardom, you've got chefs and you're being driven around - we got caught up in that and we stayed there.
We forgot that: "Listen, the show's going to end and we still have to continue the Ghetto Lingo brand after this."
You have to enjoy it but if you stay in Cloud 9 for too long, it could be a problem when you have to face the music - when you have to compete against artists who've been in the game a long time, people aren't doing things for you anymore and you have to decide what you're going to contribute to the music industry. There's
all those dynamics.
Tashi: My next question was gonna be: How can this season's group make it as
big as possible for as
long as possible,
together - and you've answered it.
Martin: It's also that, by having me there, seeing hopefuls become celebrities right before your eyes, it's exciting and I'll be able to give advice.
I remember myself, I grew an ego and I had to say to myself: "Martin, you're losing yourself here dude." The whole thing sweeps you off your feet - by having me there I'll be able to encourage them to keep themselves on track for the future otherwise you won't have any sustainability as was seen with 101, Afro-Z, us in Ghetto Lingo, Adilah, same thing - except for Jamali.
Tashi: I've been wondering about whether their success has had anything to do with them
not actually winning the show. There's the strong trend of that with runners-up in reality TV.
Martin: Yes if you look at American Idol there's a similar scenario - I think they must have drawn strength from that as well, saying: "Okay, we didn't win, let us prove people wrong," - it shows good character from them.
For me the group didn't work out but I did go on to present television shows, I did Backstage, a solo career, got a SAMA nomination I've acted on 7de Laan, done voiceovers for big corporates. The platform is there - it's what you make of it.
Tashi: There's a Popstars Greatest Hits album being released with the show with tracks from all the winning groups and Jamali - what would you say Ghetto Lingo's Greatest Hit is?
Martin: Definitely Pump It Up, definitely - every time people see me, like when I go to my hometown in Cape Town, when I go to Khayelitsha, I'll hear people whistling it as I walk past.
The song really stuck and I really enjoyed doing it. We could perform that song anywhere - even when we did our second album people were like: "Please, you can't leave before you perform Pump It Up," - we could do it 10 times, same energy, same thing so clearly that was our greatest hit.
Tashi: Can you make money from being on the show? Did Ghetto Lingo make money?
Martin: We made a bit of money, obviously we got money from the competition and we sold about 22 500 copies - so we made a bit of money there - but that didn't help us when we got arrested in Bloemhof.
Tashi: Can you spill more for those who don't know what happened?
Martin: As I said, this fame thing, we really let it get to our heads. This is way back - we were booked for a government gig in the city just before Kimberley. Afterwards we were in the car and drinking and told the driver: "Listen, please don't stop anywhere, we don't want any trouble, people coming to the car, all the autograph things - just take us straight to Jo'burg."
So driving through, the driver stopped at a garage at a town called Bloemhof - there was a little tuck-shop and a Steers at it. So I went into the tuck-shop to get some biltong or something and I see Bjorn going into Steers. S'bu and Philemon were in the car.
I come out of the shop and I see Bjorn - he's actually holding the teller lady across the counter, across the neck. I was like: "Dude what's happening?"
He was drunk and stuff, then the petrol attendant comes inside and hassles Bjorn. Then S'bu comes in - doesn't even ask questions about what's happened, smacked the guy and chased the guy.
I tried to control the whole thing but I also end up getting a fist from the petrol attendant who was trying to help the lady. It was just a whole frenzy. We stayed late, I was like: "Guys let's get out of here," but we stayed - there was a big glass thing inside of the centre which Bjorn pushed over, broke the tiles and all that.
Obviously the police came, took us into holding cells and all that junk. That was a very bad stint for us - I believe that was ... we were kind of role models to young people, they really looked up to us and after that we had a really bad stint in terms of getting corporates and gigs because of that ordeal.
Tashi: Did it end the group?
Martin: After that the big paying gigs, they dried up and I don't think we could ever come out of that. We did a second album but not as, you know, I think that was still lingering in the back of people's mind.
That's another lesson I could share with the new Popstars group, take care of yourself. Things have changed now, I've managed to grow and build a brand and live life right, live as a role model - I've learnt so much from that experience.
Tashi: When it gets to the Top 10 and final stages of the competition, everyone's gonna move into a house together. Will it be like being on Big Brother for those who make it? Did you feel you
needed to whack people?
Martin: *laughs*
Oh, I can't tell you how many times I felt like that. It's bound to happen, obviously there were some fists thrown in the house, but they never really amounted to anything - there were always bodyguards around.
Tashi: Bodyguards??
Martin: We got the whole life, it's the making of Popstars - as I said we had chefs, we could just click our fingers and things would happen.
Tashi: Who were the fists flying between? Members of the two finalist groups?
Martin: Oh, look there were two groups, us and Jamali - the girls stayed in a different house next door. In the boys house, a lot of things happened there, which isn't necessary now to talk about - that's what happened.
I can tell the new Popstars group what could happen, so they don't have to go through that so they can deliver and sustain themselves. I think we've signed a three-year contract with e.tv - there'll be another group coming up so you don't want to mess up your time and then, when you try to get back up, there's a new Popstars group that you're competing with. Just try to be as professional as possible.
Also, there's help available, we had psychologists come in, counselling us, asking: "Has anything changed?" "What's the response been like from people?"
Tashi: How have you changed as a result of the show?
Martin: It really changed my life - I was part of a group when I entered and it really changed my life. Today I'm married, I have a beautiful four month old baby girl, I'm settled, I'm working, I've got relationships with big corporations in terms of endorsements and stuff.
You can really make something out of the show, really change your life. So many musicians are hustling all over the world to get a recording contract and this the opportunity to really make something of yourself.
Also, my vision - then - when I was in the show, was only about the fame. That's what I thought success was but my vision now, is different. I want to be a person to impact the lives of many for the better - that's success. I've also been doing a lot of inspirational sessions as well, at my church at well, thanks to Kabelo Mabalane because he does that as well.
I'm thinking on my feet and not on my toes as I did during the show. I can make good judgments now, on a financial side God has been great and the hair's gone too - I had long hair then and that's gone, but I've still got that edge in me.
Tashi: If you were auditioning right now, what song would you choose and why?
Martin: Ai! You know I'm a big fan of Usher - reason being - people say: "Yah but everyone loves Usher." It's just that the guy's a professional, I've got most of his DVD's.
I'd probably sing one of his ... my all time favourite, a song that blew me away was ...*sings* ...
'You remind me of a girl that I was once knew'
aSee her face whenever I look at you'
aCouldn't believe all of the things, you put me through'
a,
You remind me of a girl, that I once knew'
a.'
I already see myself in the audition line now, with the judges smiling and saying: "This guy is going places." *laughs* That's me blowing my own trumpet,
eh! Thank you very much.
Ends For all the audition news and venues, see:
Are You A Popstar? Audition Details