Formerly known as Pride Idol, the singing competition Pride Superstar returns for a fifth year, organizers have announced. An event spawned by Pride Houston, the competition holds open auditions April 17 at noon at Meteor Lounge.
Singers ages 18 and older are invited to prepare at least two a cappella songs for the judges. Those who make it through the preliminary auditions must be available for the entirety of the competition and must provide their own backing tracks on CD. Prizes include studio time, prime performance slots, and more.
Applications are available online at pridehouston.org. Returning as host bar is Meteor, where contestants can be viewed by the audience on the venue’s eight video screens; singers also have access to Meteor’s playback system so they can observe their progress and their skills throughout the competition.
Joey Guerra, music critic and the show’s director, returns for the fifth year as a judge.
Though Pride Superstar is billed as an LGBT event, it is not a competition intended to exclusively showcase LGBT talent, Guerra explained. Rather, it is open to all singers, regardless of sexual orientation.
“We are indeed an event that openly welcomes LGBT singers to audition and compete,” he said. “More often than not, even today, people who enter competitions, be it via reality TV or at live venues, might feel like they have to hide who they are to court an audience. No male singers singing about men, no female singers singing about women. Our competition is a place where LGBT talent can thrive, grow, and succeed without having to worry about who they are. I feel like we give them that extra boost so they can say, ‘This is who I am, and it’s OK.’ ”
Surprise performers are to be announced as the season progresses, said Guerra, who expects some of those surprise performers to be contestants and winners from previous years.
Pride Superstar runs nine consecutive Tuesdays, beginning May 3 at 10 p.m. at Meteor, 2306 Genesee St. Details: pridehouston.org. —Nancy Ford
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