Harrell, the artistic vessel through which hip-hop and R&B icons were channeled through to the public such as Mary J. Blige, Jodeci, Heavy D and countless others, narrowed the national contestant list from 2,500. The six regional semifinalists, along with one national semifinalist, will compete in Atlanta on July 31 in Stone Mountain, Ga., for a recording contract and $10,000 in cash.
“Because I was looking for soul figures. And I thought the soul figures are in the South. So I figured I would bring the record company to them and that’s why I created the Superstar Soul Search,” Harrell said. “I love bringing to the forefront people who are messengers of God, who have that anointed talent. So, when I do that, I feel like I’m spreading God’s work.”
The star-studded panel of judges included Kenny Leon, who happened to be in town for the National Black Arts Festival.
“First of all, I’ve known Andre for a long time and I’m very much a fan of R&B music and people getting a chance to do stuff and things like that,” he says. “And from a selfish standpoint, I’m coming here to perform at the National Black Arts Festival and I was actually looking for some talent and I saw quite a bit of talent today so it was great.” –terry shropshire
