Crazy for Karaoke? Show Your Skills, Get Discovered and Compete for a Once-in-a-Lifetime Chance to Sing Alongside World-Famous Rock and Country Stars!

MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A charity singing competition, Karaoke Sing Thing (KST), will support Special Olympic Minnesota through a karaoke contest for aspiring singers and performers. Contestants are selected through a variety of factors, including social media voting, donations raised, and pure talent to perform at Mall of America (MOA) on June 8, 2013. Six contestants will be chosen to move forward to the finals to sing alongside national artists in rock and country music at Moondance Events in summer 2013.

“Through providing different ways for contestants to qualify, aspiring singers can select the route that works best for them to earn the chance to perform on the same stage as legendary music stars.”

“KST is a unique event as it allows contestants to pursue their dreams while supporting a great cause," said Sal DiLeo, founder of KST. "Through providing different ways for contestants to qualify, aspiring singers can select the route that works best for them to earn the chance to perform on the same stage as legendary music stars."

To qualify, contestants must upload a 90 second video of themselves singing the best rendition of their favorite country or rock song to the KST website, www.karaokesingthing.com by April 30, 2013. To perform at the MOA, contestants can take one of three routes: share the video through social media profiles and gain the highest number of votes on their video, rise the greatest amount of donations for Special Olympics Minnesota, or be selected by a panel of judges simply on their voice and talent. Ten contestants will be selected from each avenue from one of two categories, country and rock, allowing a total of 60 finalists to perform in front of a live audience at MOA.

Ultimately three champions will be selected from each category based on text votes from the audience and a panel of celebrity judges. The three country finalists will sing live, on-stage at Moondance Jammin' Country, an outdoor country music festival, on June 21-22, 2013, and the three rock finalists will sing on stage at Moondance Jam, a classic rock music festival, on July 18-20, 2013.

"It really is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for contestants," said DiLeo. "For anyone who loves to sing karaoke, this event takes it to a whole new level while making a difference in the community through supporting Special Olympics Minnesota. It's a win, win for everyone."

For more information and contest rules visit karaokesingthing.com.

About Karaoke Sing Thing
Karaoke Sing Thing (KST) is a contest to find and discover aspiring singers and provide a once-in-a lifetime chance to perform on live-on stage. Semi-finalists will perform at Mall of America with celebrity judges and audience text votes determining the finalists. Finalists go on to perform at Moondance Jammin’ Country Fest and Moondance Jam in June and July, 2013. A portion of the proceeds from KST supports Special Olympics Minnesota, a nonprofit organization which offers children and adults with intellectual disabilities year-round sports training.

About Special Olympics Minnesota
Special Olympics Minnesota offers children and adults with intellectual disabilities year-round sports training and competition. Through Special Olympics’ athletic, health and leadership programs, people with intellectual disabilities transform themselves, their communities and the world.