Naaz Ghani By Express News Service CHENNAI: In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, IRIS Events in collaboration with Eldia Pure Coconut Oil organised Valentunes 2020, a competition for hidden singing sensations in Chennai to display their talents in front of an audience. AK Balaji was the emcee of the finals of the competition, which was held at the Chennai CitiCenter on Saturday. He charmed the audience — a mix of professional and amateur singers — with fun quips and jokes that had them entertained throughout. Auditions for the contest were held two weeks prior to the main event. Over 800 entries were registered, of which 18 men and women made it to the finals. The winning titles were Ms and Mr Valentune, and Duet Pairs. The judges who presided over the finale were Ilango, a visually impaired artiste; Pallavi Raja, director; singers Jaya Dev and Satrangi Promod, and Kamalaja, winner of Ms Valentune 2012. The jury judged the participants on different criteria, including melody, rhythm and synchronization. The participants performed along with a live band consisting Prakash on the tabla, Shiva on the keyboard and Satish on the electric drums. Songs like Ye ishq hai from Jab We Met and Vizhiyile mani vizhiyil from Nooravathu Naal, received the most applause. The event also included a fashion show. The evening came to an end with Latha, founder of IRIS Glam, along with the judges, felicitating the winners. “We have been hosting Valentunes for the last 15 years. Every year we find promising talents who go on to make careers in music. This year is very much the same, thanks to our organisers, participants and audience,” Latha said. Winners also won watches from Lenco.

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