Another group of Singing for Success contestants are planning to sing their hearts out on Sunday night.

The Singing for Success Part II talent extravaganza will take place at the Fairmont Southampton.

The five contestants are Lauren Easton, Ryan Bean, Larrita Adderley, Maurita Richardson and Jonae Smith.

The Singing for Success five are aiming at a chance of winning scholarships at the LA Music Academy and the Berklee School of Music.

Kevin Bean, of KDB Productions, spoke with The Royal Gazette about the contest and contestants, the international judges and about Dancing for Success, which this contest has replaced.

"This show serves as part two in our four-part series, which culminates in a performance at the Apollo Theater in New York City," he explained.

"Therefore the format will remain the same as it was for the first one with the only difference being that we will make this one even better."

For those who attended the first Singing for Success in April, they will be happy to know that the show will follow a similar format.

"We will open with our very own theme song produced by Johnny Woolridge and then go directly into the competition," explained Mr. Bean.

"The finalists come out and do a group song, which introduces them to the audience, and then they go right into the first round which is the Jazz Standard, then Eighties Dance followed by a contemporary song of their choice. "Additional entertainment will be by Septimus and George Huff who will be back again to entertain the crowd. People have asked why George is so involved with our show and it is simple, he is a fantastic entertainer, loves Bermuda and the Success Series and plans to be touring with us when we travel to America, so this is a great way for him to get used to the band and the vocalists who will be performing with him."

When asked whether some of the current contestants audition for the last Singing for Success, Mr. Bean said: "Yes they did, two of the current finalists auditioned the first time around so congrats to them for not giving up."

The exceptional band will also play for these contestants. "The band was phenomenal and played a major role in the success of the last event," said Mr. Bean.

"The background vocalists are led by Sheila Smith, Tauria Raynor and Dawn Smith.

"We will have a choir again but this time it will be comprised of all the vocalists who did not make the show during the auditions. That's our way of saying thank you for coming out as well as incentive to continue on trying with us.

"At the end of the day we are trying to expose all talent."

Hosting Sunday's competition will be Dedra N. Tate who was the President of Flavor Unit (Queen Latifah's label) as well as one of the judges in the first Singing For Success.

"Dedra will be a blast as she is both funny and entertaining," he said.

"The audience will love her!"

The judges have changed slightly due to unforeseen circumstances, explained Mr. Bean.

"Armstead Christian, who was a representative of the Berklee College of Music, is recovering from an illness so in his place Gabrielle Goodman who also represents Berklee will be here in his place," he said.

"Deborah McDuffie will be back as a judge. She has an extensive history in the music business having produced and or performed with all the greats in the business.

"She is recognised for her involvement in Luther Vandross' career as well as being the first female producer to be hired by a record label.

"Beyonce's A&R Jake McKim will not be back as he had to fly out with Beyonce at the last minute to another gig."

The last showcase was top of the line, when asked how he planned to improve upon the performance, he said: "I am very grateful to the kind words from those who saw the show, but there is always room for improvement.

"However, what I improve on will remain my secret."

Singing for Success II is replacing Dancing for Success, so when asked what happened to the scheduled event, Mr. Bean said: "Well we attempted to do the Dancing For Success event twice over the last few months, but while it was to be a wildly entertaining event it was not able to come together at that time. "It was due to this that in order to fulfil our obligation to the sponsors we had to do another event. Due to the success of the vocal competition we decided to do what works.

"Sometimes in life you get thrown a curve ball, but knowing everything happens for a reason we are just moving on with the series."

The dancers were to be an integrate part of the tour, but Mr. Bean said: It will not affect us at all, because we were not able to get the dance event running I will have dancers from Florida performing with us.

"This is what the business is all about, when things go wrong you keep going and find a solution.

"I have a goal and nothing will prevent me from seeing it through. On November 9, 2008 I will become the first Bermudian to produce a show at the Apollo Theater featuring Bermudian entertainers."

So is Dancing For Success something that he hopes to incorporate next year?

"I am certain that we will be able to do the Dancing For Success competition next year," he said.It is something that will be great for Bermuda in that large groups of young people will benefit from this event.

"The aim is to have the winning school receive $15,000, followed by $10,000 and $5,000 for second and third place schools. This money is to be used to help offset the fees for the students for their next term.

"The winning school will also receive a scholarship to Alvin Ailey (The Ailey School) and the opportunity to have 10 of their dancers travel with us on tour at the end of the year."

The next component of the Success Series will be Acting For Success.

"The Acting For Success event will take place on October 20 at the City Hall Theatre," he said.

"The winner will receive a full year scholarship at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theater."

Tickets, $65 in advance and $75 at the door, are available at iStore, People's Pharmacy and Shannon's Boutique. Doors open at 6 p.m. and Showtime is at 7 p.m.