MTN Bushfire is thrilled to announce that applications are open for the 8th edition of the hottest music talent competition for Eswatini’s #YoungGiftedFree, MTN Bushfire Firefly.
MTN Bushfire is calling on young artists in Eswatini to send their music recordings to be considered for the Firefly competition. The Top Three winners will perform live at the MTN Bushfire Festival, which will be held from 30 May to 1 June, 2025.
MTN Bushfire Firefly creates a music space with no limitations for the #YoungGiftedFree to freely express themselves by sharing their musical creativity and lyrical authenticity. The #YoungGiftedFree are trailblazers who dream big and hustle hard. Vocalists, singers and rappers aged between 16 and 35 years are invited to submit their music recordings for a chance to be part of MTN Bushfire Firefly.
Applications for this year’s edition of the competition are now open via the Firefly page on the MTN Bushfire website (www.bush-fire.com/firefly). Applicants are required to send two tracks for consideration and their Electronic Press Kit (EPK)/bio either in PDF format or via a web link.
Applications close on Friday, 7 March, 2025.
Launched in 2017, MTN Bushfire Firefly is a powerful manifestation of MTN Bushfire’s Bring Your Fire call to action for positive social and environmental change. The competition is an expression of the festival’s arts development pillar which has inspired conscious and tangible efforts to create sustained access to the arts for Eswatini’s youth.
Over the years, the competition has established an inspiring track record of unearthing, promoting and supporting emerging talent by giving the youth a credible platform to share their music to wide audiences.
To date, the music competition has empowered over 100 up-and-coming artists, most of whom have used this opportunity to elevate their musical careers and become recognised artists in Eswatini’s music industry.
Each year, 20 artists are selected from the applications and promoted across MTN Bushfire’s social media platforms and affiliate festival platforms to grow their reach and awareness. The Top 10 artists are then selected by public vote to perform for a live audience at the MTN Bushfire Firefly Grand Finale which will be taking place on 24 April, 2025. The Top 3 winners will each receive exciting prizes, career opportunities and the grand prize of a performance slot at the MTN Bushfire festival.
The final adjudication process at the Firefly Grand Finale involves a combination of expert industry judges and public online votes. Voting will be conducted via the MTN Bushfire Firefly channel on the AYOBA app, which can be downloaded from www.Ayoba.me or any online download store. For your streaming and voting convenience, personalised MTN Pulse data bundles will be available for purchase throughout the series. More information can be found on the MTN Bushfire website.
To learn more about the competition and how to enter, download the Ayoba app from https://i.ayo.ba/YgBb/mtnfirefly and subscribe to the MTN Bushfire Firefly channel. We have exciting giveaways and informative music business news that will positively grow the music industry in Eswatini.
