Laura Power
Northern News Services
Published Monday, August 20, 2007

COPPERMINE - A Kugluktuk resident has come up with a new way to beat the winter blahs.

As the days get shorter, residents of the town will be treated to the North's first ever Kugluktuk Idol. This competition, however, is not like the Idol competitions put on by other towns.

RJ Kusmack: Kugluktuk Idol co-ordinator expects competition to take place this winter.

R.J. Kusmack, recreation co-ordinator and advisor for the town, had the idea to hold the competition on community radio.

"It's really the first of its kind throughout the North," he said.

Kusmack said everyone knows and loves shows like Canadian Idol and American Idol, but not everyone has the nerve to get up and sing in front of a live audience.

"It's harder to sing before a crowd of people," he said. By allowing people to sing on the radio without the live audience, "a lot of walls can be broken down."

"It's going to be a great year this year," he said.

Kusmack also said that broadcasting Kugluktuk Idol on the radio makes the competition more fair.

"We're going to keep everyone anonymous, so you won't know their name, you'll just hear their talent so there'll be no bias," he said.

He said creativity is needed to make the most out of local radio.

"Radio bingo's really popular here because it's interactive... this'll be the same.

"Someone will be singing you a song and you can respond whether you like it or not," he said.

Much like the television show, the competition will resume once per week, likely on Monday nights. Kusmack said he is hoping that if all goes well, there will be about four or five contestants every week, and each week, two of the musicians will be voted off.

"Once we get down to final 10 then we'll do the same thing - we'll just bring the finalists on together," he said. "What I'm thinking is the top three will actually get voted for by the public in a live audience setting."

He said it will be open to a variety of musicians, and that you don't even have to be a singer to take part, "as long as it's an audible talent that somebody can vote for over the radio," he said.

This includes everything from playing guitar to throat singing to singing, and anyone 14 years of age or older is invited to participate.

Posters for the event will be up around town in the near future. No start date has been set.