Hosted by Asia's songbird Regine Velasquez, together with singer-actor Keempee de Leon, "Are You The Next Big Star?" pools together amateur and professional singers seeking a comeback in an all-out singing competition. The show was dreamed up to transcend other reality-based talent search with its ingenuity, freshness, and certified unique approach to finding the one worthy of being called "the next big star.
For the first time in a singing search, experienced singers are allowed to join provided that they have no existing recording contracts and no mainstream appearances as singers, in 2008 up to present. Also for the first time, not just one but two (one male and one female) singing superstar hopefuls will be proclaimed champions. From the more than 10,000 hopefuls who joined the screenings at SM Baliwag, SM Batangas, SM Marikina, and GMA Network, 150 contestants made it to the audition phase.
From there onwards, contestants will face 15 weeks of grueling tasks, workshops, and weekly live performances designed to sharpen their musicality, pop star power, and overall mass appeal, not to mention the capacity to withstand the demands of a career in the highly competitive world of music.
The impressive roster of judges include well-respected record producer/composer and songwriter Danny Tan, musical director and arranger Mon Faustino, vocal coach and founding member of "The Company" Anne Quintos, '90s pop icon Randy Santiago, and the concert queen Pops Fernandez. Throughout the search, a systematic elimination process will be employed to ensure that only the best of the best will emerge as winners.
The grand champions will each be awarded with a GMA exclusive management contract, a GMA Records recording contract, P1 million in cash from SM Supermalls, and other exciting rewards, along with a prized, once-in-a-lifetime shot at superstardom.
