IF YOU watch Kevin Chin strum his guitar and croon Jason Mraz's Lift High, you might never guess that the cool, laid-back 29-year-old is a father of a nine-month-old boy.

But this cool daddy is now working hard on his guitar and singing skills, because he is one of the 15 finalists who will be competing for the top honours - and top prize of $5,000 - in Stomp's MMSing Talent Awards next Wesdnesday.

As he tuned his guitar at a rehearsal studio, Kevin said: "It's hard work bringing up a child. But it's the most wonderful thing and I love every minute of it.

"I enjoy serenading my boy to sleep, but he's staying home next Wednesday, because he always starts crying the minute I start to sing."

The MMSing Talent Awards, organised by Stomp, Asia's No. 1 social-networking and citizen journalism website, is the world's first and only online singing contest in which submissions are made via multimedia messaging service, or MMS.

It is truly a people's contest, as it provides an opportunity for ordinary people to show their singing talents or to just have fun sharing their passion for music with thousands of online viewers.

They simply record themselves performing a song using their mobile phones and send the videos to Stomp. Viewers then watch the videos on the Stomp website and vote for their favourite contestants.

Now in its third edition, the contest continues to receive a heartening response from online viewers.

The contestants garnered a total of 16,535 votes.

For the previous two editions of the contest, the winners were decided upon before the award ceremony based on two phases of voting - 50 points from online voters and 50 points from a panel of judges.

This year, Stomp upped the ante by introducing a third leg, which requires the 15 finalists - 10 from Category A (15 years and above) and five from Category B (below 15 years) - to compete on stage during the award ceremony.

A panel of experts will judge them based on their vocal quality, appearance, creativity in their interpretation of songs and presentation.

So, what is at stake? Cash prizes of $15,000 in total.

The champion for Category A will win $5,000, while the second- and third-place winners will walk away with $3,000 and $2,000, respectively.

The winner in Category B will win $2,500. The first runner- up will receive $1,500 while the second runner-up will go home with $1,000.

With big money and the glory of stardom hanging in the balance, the 15 finalists are not leaving anything to chance.

So, like rival Kevin, they trained hard at studio-rehearsal sessions organised by Stomp.

One such finalist is Amni Musfirah, 16, who aspires to be a singer-composer.

When Stomp met her at the studio, the student at the School of the Arts said: "This MMSing Talent contest is a great opportunity for local talents to gain exposure and get recognised.

She talked about the vocal training she started recently, saying: "Since I've been going for vocal classes, I've realised that singing is not easy. It requires a lot of energy, technique and practice."

Tabitha Magendran, eight, knows all about the importance of practice. The youngest finalist in the competition, whose mother is Chinese and father Indian, twirled and danced in the studio as she sang a Chinese song, Wo Niu Yu Huang Li Niao (A Snail And A Bird.

Her advice for young performers: "I'm not afraid when I go up on stage because I practise a lot. So, you must practise, practise and practise."

At the other end of the age spectrum is finalist Soh Jin Seng, who is 62 years old.

While his younger opponents have chosen pop songs, Mr Soh prefers popular Chinese oldies. Said the self-employed remisier: "There are many modern songs today, but it's important that young people do not forget traditional songs."

The hippest "uncle" in the competition has a prediction for the finals, saying: "I expected to be in the finals and I'm confident that I will win."

Stomp has a prediction for the final showdown, too. The bar will definitely be raised this year.

Expect high-quality singing, wide and powerful vocal range, and vivacious dance moves.

But do not take our word for it. Watch the video performances of all 15 finalists on the MMSing section on Stomp and try to guess who will emerge champions.

Log on to RazorTV at www.razor.tv.com.sg next Wednesday to catch all the action at the MMSing Talent Awards, and witness the crowning of MMSing Talent superstars.

akasman@sph.com.sg

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