General Rules
Part 1: Pre-live Audition
Potential contestants should record a song via a recording program (Audacity, Magix, etc.) and e-mail it to us with the file named using the following format:
Song by Artist {Series} – Your Name
Example: Passion by Utada Hikaru {Kingdom Hearts 2} – Jeremy Androsoff
The song can be from any Japanese anime series or movie, video game, vocaloid, dorama, stage production, or any J-Rock, J-Pop, J-Reggae, J-Rap, Enka (traditional Japanese music) etc. However, the song must be in Japanese (not English). The recording should be between 1 ½ to 2 minutes in length.
Online entries must be submitted to animeevolutionidol@gmail.com before June 15th, 2010.
The top 20-25 entries will be selected to move on to the live auditions on Thursday, August 12th, 2010. Those selected to move on to the live auditions must be pre-registered with Anime Evolution and have picked up their pass before their performance time.
Part 2: Live Auditions
Contestants will be asked to perform on stage for approximately 2 minutes for a live audience and a panel of judges, a cappella. In other words, no recorded music accompaniment will be permitted. The judges may choose to stop the contestant early if they feel they’ve heard enough, but may also allow the contestant to perform a little bit longer as well.
For the live auditions, your song again must be sung in Japanese, and can be from any of the sources listed above in the pre-live audtion stage. The song must also be memorized. Use of lyrics written on anything will not be permitted.
Approximately 12-13 finalists will be chosen to move to the contest to take place on the Friday of the convention. All contestants participating in the live auditions must be prepared to move on to the following rounds, meaning that one of the following should be prepared in advance:
- A CD of instrumental music to sing to
- The CD must be provided to the Idol Coordinator at the end for the auditions after contestant names are announced. Please read the rules for the Rounds listed below for more information on the CD.
- An instrument as accompaniment
- If you plan on using instruments for subsequent rounds, please notify the Idol coordinator ahead of time to make the necessary arrangements for amps, cords, etc.
Part 3: Contest (3 rounds)
Contestants should be prepared to perform in front of a live audience.
CDs of instrumental tracks should have already been provided during auditions and should be labelled with the following:
- Contestant name
- List of 3 songs on the CD in the order they are played. (i.e. Track 1 should be for Round 1, etc.)
The music should be instrumental with only backing vocals intermittently throughout. If a song does not have an official instrumental release, the original singer’s vocals should be removed with a music editing program without compromising too much of the original audio quality.
Contestants are allowed to bring instruments from home, but please note that Anime Evolution and its staff are not responsible for lost, misplaced, or damaged instruments or contestants’ personal items. It is also the responsibility of the contestant to inform the coordinator and/or sound engineer(s) of special sound equipment needed during the practice sessions before the contest rounds begin.
You must use a different song for each round, however, you may re-use the song used in the live audition for one of the rounds.
In each round, contestants will be allowed approximately 4 to 5 minutes per song. After all the performances in each round, the judges will retreat to deliberate.
- The top 6 from round #1 will move on to round #2.
- The top 3 from round #2 will move on to round #3, the final round.
Winners for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place will be announced after the final round, set to take place at the closing ceremonies.
Judging
The panel of judges will be looking at the following criteria:
Singing Ability – Do we have a Susan Boyle on our hands? Or maybe a William Hung? Do they have good vocal capabilities, pitch, and timing? If song calls for emotion, does the performer deliver? Does the performer forget the lyrics and make it known, or seemingly fudge through it? Do they choose to challenge themselves by singing a song by the opposite sex? Out of their usual range? If so, how was it handled? Did voice sound too strained? Vocal control? Techniques? Proper breathing? Vibrato? Things like that. We will go into more detail on judges guideline sheets.
Overall Performance – Use of stage /movement; did the performer peak the audience’s interest? Audience involvement? Does performer seem to ‘get into’ the song or just stand there performing half-heartedly?
Song Originality – Is your song one that is constantly sung on a yearly basis? (eg. Final Distance by Utada Hikaru) or are you trying something new? Have you chosen the same song as someone else? If there are two or more linguistic versions of a song, did you choose to sing in Japanese or English (eg. Japanese “Passion” compared to English “Sanctuary” from Kingdom Hearts)? It is more favourable to sing the song in its original format, providing it is not your native tongue. How diverse are your choices? Did you sing same type of song (eg. all rap songs) throughout all three rounds, or did you try to diversify your choices (eg. round #1: rap, round #2: ballad, round #3: rock)?
Additional Notes on Song Choices
- It is highly encouraged to that songs not in the contestant’s native language are chosen.
- No Disney songs are permitted.
- No English songs are permitted for the pre-live auditions or live auditions.
- For the 3-round contest, contestants may only use one English song in their competition set.
- If there is a foreign language version available of the song, but the contestant chooses to sing the version from their native language, marks will be deducted. The only exception is if the English song itself is made specifically for the dub and does not appear in the original Japanese version; and permission is granted beforehand by the coordinator and judges, then the judges will not deduct marks. (eg. “My Only Love” by Jennifer Cihi from the Sailor Moon English dub which is not in the original Japanese)
Legal Mumbo-jumbo
The rules and regulations of the Anime Idol Contest are subject to change without notice. Although we will do our best to keep updates communicated through the website and forums, these changes may occur at any time. For any questions or inquires, please send an e-mail to animeevolutionidol@gmail.com.
Decisions made by the Anime Idol Coordinator and Executive Staff are final. No Exceptions. Anime Evolution and its staff are not responsible for lost, misplaced, or illegible entry forms. Any violation of the Anime Idol Contest rules can result in disqualification from current and future Anime Idol Contests.
Participation in the Anime Evolution Anime Idol Contest implies an understanding and acceptance of these rules and regulations.
F.A.Q.
Can I use an instrument on stage? Can the song be an instrumental version I made myself?
Absolutely! Anything to make the performance more your own is welcomed, but if you do choose to bring an instrument, please let the coordinator and/or technical staff know ahead of time so that the proper equipment can be acquired. Please also note it is up to the contestant to take care of their personal equipment, and find suitable storage to maintain the safety of said equipment. Should something happen to it, Anime Evolution and its associated staff cannot be held responsible.
Do I have to sing a male/opposite gender song? Can I sing all of the same type of songs? (eg. All ballads?)
Vocal dexterity and ability, as well as overall performance are what we’re looking for at Anime Evolution Idol 2010. Challenge yourself to try new things! Why not give an opposite gender song a chance? You don’t have to do it, but challenges are what make it fun and keep things interesting. They say that “variety is the spice of life”, and as such, you should try to do different songs over the course of the three days. You won’t be harshly judged should you choose to stick with one musical theme throughout the course of the contest, but keep in mind that your audience enjoys variety.
Can I modify my song to fit my vocal range?
There is no problem with doing this, but ideally you should try to keep the song with its original integrity. There are karaoke systems out there that can adjust pitch and such, though, so it would be wrong to officially say no to this.
Can I sing more than one song by the same artist?
Yes, but again, variety is encouraged.
This is my first time, is it normal to be really scared?
100% yes! Very few people are comfortable their first, second or even third times! Just have fun with it. Remember, the audience loves anything! They usually support the performers no matter what. They like to make the judges the bad guys/gals, so try to enjoy yourself!
Can the track have the singer’s vocals in the background?
Yes you can to a degree, but remember the judges cannot hear your as well if the song has the singer competing with you in the background. If you have ripped the vocals, and there is the faintest echo in the background, it’s alright, just as long as it’s your voice that is going to be heard, and there are no full vocals in the back. If the singer has minor parts of repetition, or the official karaoke/instrumental track features themselves singing in certain parts to back up their main parts, that is alright to leave in.
Are we allowed to enter as duets?
Yes you can, but please make sure that the judges have a chance to hear your voices seperately, as well as harmonized in your song choices. Entering as a duet is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it can be really amazing if you get it down pat, however, if one person practices and performs better than the other, it can bring your overall score down if the performance comes across as “sub par”. Also, both singers must be prepared to move on to each round, so it means lots of work, but it could be worth it.
Is it okay to sing a song that comes from the anime, but wasn’t actually in the anime itself?
If you mean songs such as inserts, character songs or background songs, then absolutely.
Are we allowed to have sheets with us on stage with our lyrics?
True performers memorize their songs/lines. The best of the best are ready to adlib if needed to! That being said, if you forget parts of the song, just make it up! It can’t hurt! It’s not like most of the audience and/or the judges know fluent Japanese. Though, maybe they might, but then they get to have fun seeing how creative you are! If Japanese artists can get away with Engrish, why can’t you get away with Engranese? JUST. DON’T. FREEZE. UP. AND. DO. NOTHING. ON. STAGE!
Are previous Idol contestants allowed to enter?
This year is a brand new year for many reasons. New decade, new fame for Vancouver, and new Idol coordinator, judges and AE committee! As such, ANYONE and EVERYONE can audition!! There is no Idol All Stars this year. We’ll see what the future holds though.
Does the audition song have to start at the beginning of the song, or can it be any part of a song?
It can be a minute to two minutes of any part of any Japanese song you choose.
Do I have to cosplay to enter?
No, you don’t have to cosplay, but dressing up a bit is always fun! If you do dress up and perform, the crowd will probably enjoy the visual aspect of your show a little more.
Am I being judged strictly on my singing ability?
A true idol is portrayed in many anime series, especially shoujo ones, as someone who works hard to get where they are, and someone revered by their fans. These people bring it all to their performances, and sing, dance and give their audiences a show to remember. As such, contestants will be expected to not just sing, but perform! We’re not talking huge, elaborate shows, but prepare to move on stage at least a little bit. Audiences will quickly grow tired of someone who just stands rooted to one spot and remains statue-like for the entire song. Show them you are alive and enjoying yourself, or conversely, if the song you’ve chosen is a sad ballad, show some emotion! Use your body to convey the message of the song! Research!
Do I have to be a certain age to enter? Do I have to pre-register to enter?
Any age can enter. You must be a pre-registered member of the convention. You must confirm that you will be attending all 3 days of the convention (and if you make it past the online auditions, you must be able to attend the pre-registration badge pick up night for the live auditions). If you can’t make it to one of the days, then you have to pull out. We are sorry about this, and we did try to get it so that we didn’t have to have people pre-register, but logistically, we have to have the live auditions on Thursday night, and that means to get in, you’ll have to pre-register.
If someone in the competition has selected the same song as me, am I allowed to overlap song choices?
Contestants who make it to live auditions will be asked to send in their list of songs. Each contestant must have a minimum of three different songs prepared. You can use the audition song for both audition rounds, as well as one of the actual rounds, but that is it. It will be a first-come first-serve basis of sorts, so if two people choose the same song, the person who sent it in first will get the first chance at it, and the other will have to choose something else.
