Krista Henry, Staff Reporter

It is all about being 'young, hip and hype' when the red carpet rolls out for the second staging of the Youthlink-sponsored Youth View Awards on February 7 at the National Indoor Sports Arena.

Staged as a viewers' choice for a young demographic (15-24), the Youth View Awards will be packing a punch this year with a special red-carpet opening show, awards show and after-party.

According to Karen Clarke, chief executive officer of An Elegant Affair, organisers and conceptualisers of the event, the show was created to give young persons a voice.

"I thought that there was no show that actively spoke about the youth's point of view. The young demographic are the future leaders who have a voice and need to understand the power of a vote. Last year went really well, " she told The Sunday Gleaner.

"It became all about the young, hip and hype. We continue to grow and we want to become a voice for Jamaica and the region."

Voting

Nominations for the awards were done via questionnaires given out to the public and the top three persons/groups were chosen for each category.

For each category, persons can text in their votes over the voting period for the winners to be decided.

A number of changes have been made for this year's show, including more categories and a bigger venue - the National Indoor Sports Arena.

While last year's event was an invitation-only affair, this year persons can purchase tickets in order to be a part of the young, hip and hype set.

Another special addition to the show is the red-carpet pre-show. According to Clarke, the pre-show, as a means of drawing out audiences earlier, will be reminiscent of other top shows such as the Grammy and MTV Awards at which artistes come out early to walk the carpet and to show off their hot outfits.

With the dress code being 'Grammy Glam', the entertainers will be sure not to disappoint. On the pre-show, there will also be performances from Jamaica's hottest and hypest new artistes. This includes dance duo RDX, DASECA's first lady Raine Seville, Digicel's Rising Stars 2008 runners-up Kahlil and winner Camille Davis as well as Big Ship's Chino and Laden.

"The red carpet is gonna be like a mini concert. You can see the celebrities walk the red carpet. It will be hosted by Sanjay from Intense. It's all about the excitement. You can enjoy the music and win prizes from Digicel, digital cameras and more. Moriah Johnson and Gerren from BET's Baldwin Hills will also be there," Clarke said.

Various categories

The actual awards segment of the show is a top-secret affair, so that there will no leakage of information concerning winners.

The winners will receive special crystal awards being flown in from the United States. The event will be hosted by Voicemail and will have performances from Tessanne and Tami Chynn, Busy Signal, Voicemail, Etana, Lady Saw, Tifa, gospel act Goddy Goddy, SOP and D'Angel. The after-party will have Coppershot Disco manning the turntables.

"It's all about celebrating our artistes, seeing the power of our votes and knowing you made your favourite artiste win. So, come out and support the show," Clarke said.