Otafest Idol

Please email idol@otafest.com if you have any questions, or need help finding an instrumental for your song!

General Information

Otafest Idol 2019 contestants will perform two (2) songs, one for the preliminaries and one for the finals.
Performers may opt to perform only one song for both if desired, with no penalty to their final score.
Performers who choose to perform two songs will not receive a bonus.
During preliminaries, participants will perform the first two minutes of their song (roughly the first few verses and chorus). For songs with long intros, participants may opt to skip ahead, closer to when the lyrics start.
During finals, the entire song will be performed.
There will be 25 preliminary contestants. The remainder of applicants will be added to a wait list.
If there are any no-shows, the wait-listed participants may have a chance to perform.

Songs must be either in Japanese or related to anime/manga/Japanese video games (for example, the English theme to Sailor Moon is acceptable).
Songs must be no shorter than two minutes, and no longer than six minutes.
Please choose three songs for the preliminary round and three for the finals, in order of preference. Songs are first-come, first-served, so if your first choice has been claimed by someone else, you will have to pick from your second and third choices.
Instrumentals must be official – tracks that have had the vocals removed with an editing program are not allowed. No fan-made instrumentals or instrumentals made by removing the vocals will be allowed without prior consent of the coordinator.
YouTube rips (instrumentals downloaded from YouTube videos using any kind of program) are also not allowed.
Please submit the highest-quality file you can find (320kbps is ideal)!
Singing without music (a capella) is not allowed.
Lyrics sheets are allowed, but they are the participants’ responsibility. Lyrics will not be provided at the event.
Groups are limited to two (2) people.

Vocals will make up 50% of the performer’s final score. Judges will be looking for whether or not the performer stayed on-key, the strength of the vocals, control, and how well the vocals fit the song (for example, does the performer’s voice sound like it’s straining to hit notes).
Performance and/or Audience Interaction will make up the remaining 50%. Scoring in this category will be based on the type of song; for example, an upbeat song with lots of energy will have the Performance aspect weighted more heavily than the Audience Interaction aspect, while a slower, softer song might have the opposite. Judges will be looking for whether or not the performance was appropriate for the song, and whether or not Audience Interaction was attempted/achieved (again, depending on the song).

Registration information will be available in 2019. Keep an eye on our social media for updates!