Lusaka — Contestants of the Celtel Star Search are geared for this weekend's quarterfinals as three out of the 18 will be eliminated.

The contestants are working hard to impress their judges- the audience- as they solicit for votes. Last week we spoke to nine of the contestants and today we give you the remaining nine.

Up Close with the contestants Janet Banda, 20, is a Journalism student at Evelyn Hone College. She hails from Luanshya and says time has come for her to exploit her potential in music.

Janet says Celtel has given her an opportunity to realise her dream. Janet says her aim is to emerge the star that Celtel is looking for. Janet says she enjoys music and is inspired by artists like Cece Winans, Mary Mary and John Legend.

Nomsa Muyoba, 28, says she looks forward to the semi finals. Nomsa, married and an assistant accountant at Zamtel in Kasama, says the semi finals would be a step towards achieving her long-awaited dream.

Levins Mwanza, a businessman aged 25, says his aim is to put Zambia on the world map through his singing. Levins says Zambians were very good musicians and they need events such as the star search to prove to the world that Zambians have serious potential.

He says he started singing when he was seven at a Catholic Church in Kitwe where he was head of the choir. He says Steve Wonder and Billy Ocean inspire him. Levins says he is naturally versatile and sometimes listens to reggae, rock and the modern day hip-hop.

He says he first learnt of the Celtel Star Search on radio and a good friend of his encouraged him to give it a try. Kasiwa Nyambe, 18, a first-year student at the University of Zambia in the School of Humanities, says she started singing at a tender age.

Kasiwa says she sings in the Olympia Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) Church.

She says she loves hip-hop and listens to a bit of R and B. She is inspired by India Arie, Lil Kim, John Legend and Ludacris. Rachael Chongo,25, a second-year student in Health Sciences at Evelyn Hone College, says she has been a singer throughout her life and, hence, she entered the competition.

Rachael says her mother is her greatest inspiration as she has a lot of influence on all her undertakings. She is inspired by Whitney Houston and Cece Winans and also the likes Yolanda Adams and Brandy.

Locally, she enjoys Maureen Lilanda's music. She says being among the group that reached the quarterfinals was a dream come true for her. She says she aims to revolutionalise Zambian music and make it much better than it is.

Rachael is thankful to Celtel for converging them, saying "May God bless them".

Victoria Zimba, 21, a distance learning student in Computer and Information management at UNZA, says she entered the Celtel Star Search to enable her use her talent to reach the vulnerable in society.

Victoria, says she has always wanted to be a musician but is hindered by lack of finances. She says she started singing at a Presbyterian Church in Kitwe where she still sings.

Victoria expresses gratitude to her parents and sister, whom she says have rendered her so much support. Alice Chinyimba, 19, a first-year UNZA student says she entered the contest to make her dreams come true. Alice says she wanted to be telling people her views on certain things through music.

She says she has made it to the quarterfinals because she believes in herself. Alice appeals to people who will watch the competition live on television to cast their votes in her favour.

Anita Mwale, 21, also a first year student in the School of Humanities at UNZA says music is inside her and she wants to utilise the star search to make the best of her talent.

Anita says she is aiming to emerge the best so that Zambia and the rest of the world could have a taste of her music. Anita says she first started singing at Hellen Kaunda Secondary School in Kitwe.

Anita says Tina Turner and other legendary singers iinspire her, as well as Whitney Houston and Maria Carey. Mischeck Ngambi, 20, expresses optimism that he is going to be the Celtel star.

Misheck, a grade twelve pupil at Masala High School in Ndola, says he sings at school and Potters House Church. He says Zambia' Fortune Nyondo inspires him, adding that gospel songs are his favourite.

Contestants of the star search that were featured last week are Theo Kamungoma, Jela M'tonga, Kapuka Maluma, Fines Mushanga, Mark Zulu, Penjani Nguni, Viola Banda and Titus Somanje.

And we take this opportunity to correct the impression that one of the contestants Viola has three children. It has since come to our attention that Viola comes from a family of three. We apologise for the misrepresentation.

This Sunday's Star Search features nine of the 18 contestants and three of them will be eliminated by viewers through text messages. Next week the other nine will be featured and the same system of elimination will be applied.

Thereafter, the event will proceed to the semi-finals and only twelve contestants will remain for the battle to the finals. The event will take place at Hotel Intercontinental in Lusaka.rs.