From The Straits Times    |

UPDATE (13/05/2013):
Hollywood star Jessica Alba will host of the first-ever Social Star Awards in Singapore. She will be hosting the award ceremony at Marina Bay Sands on May 23, 2013.

Jessica Alba to host Social Star Awards
Jessica Alba at the Met Ball 2013. PHOTO: Tory Burch

Canadian pop singer Carly Rae Jepsen of last year’s megahit Call Me Maybe and Sky Blu from popular American dance-pop duo LMFAO are the latest stars confirmed for the upcoming Social Star Awards at Marina Bay Sands on May 23.

Jepsen’s addition to the celebrity line-up for what is dubbed the Oscars of social media is fitting – she became a breakout star last year after her debut single Call Me Maybe went viral online.

The upbeat and catchy tune, which spawned countless spoofs and cover videos on YouTube, earned her the Song Of The Year and Best Pop Solo Performance at this year’s Grammy Awards and topped the mainstream music charts in 21 countries worldwide, including the United States, Britain and Canada.

Carly Rae Jepsen in Singapore for Social Star Awards Carly Rae Jepsen in Singapore for Social Star Awards

Besides performing at the awards show, the 27-year-old will also play a full set at the first of two post-awards gigs called the Singapore Social Concerts at The Meadow, Gardens by the Bay, on May 24 and 25.

Both Jepsen and Sky Blu join other celebrities already announced: American rock veterans Aerosmith, South Korean singer Psy, soul-pop singer CeeLo Green and Asian girlband Blush.

The Social Star awards is a 24-hour event that will crown the most popular personalities and brands on the world’s biggest social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Google+, YouTube and Weibo. The event will be streamed live on YouTube.

Both the awards show and concerts are organised by Singapore-based company Starcount, which tracks the activities of 1.7 billion Internet users who use the world’s top 11 social media site.

The top 12 categories, including the Most Popular Celebrity Or Brand across all countries and brands, will be presented during the three-hour awards show at Marina Bay Sands. The other awards will be announced online.

The Straits Times is the official Singapore media partner of the event, Hot FM 91.3 is the official Singapore radio station and Kiss 92FM the supporting Singapore radio station.

Sky Blu, who currently performs as a solo act while LMFAO are on hiatus, is expected to sing at the awards show. Born Skyler Gordy, the 26-year-old recently released his solo singles, Pop Bottles and Salud.

Grammy-nominated LMFAO, known for global hit songs such as Party Rock Anthem, are one of the finalists in the music group category at the Social Star awards.

Other nominees include Canadian pop idol Justin Bieber for Most Popular Music Solo Artist, Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo for Most Popular Sports Person and Finnish mobile game Angry Birds for Most Popular Game.

Straits Times readers can win free tickets to the awards show and concerts through the Straits Times Appreciates Readers (Star) programme, with details to be announced at a later date.

This article was first run in The Straits Times newspaper on May 3, 2013. For similar stories, go to sph.straitstimes.com/premium/singapore. You will not be able to access the Premium section of The Straits Times website unless you are already a subscriber.