TGI Fridays is launching the Red Hot Summer of Music, a summer-long celebration featuring an online contest in search of the best undiscovered musical artists, with three-time Grammy Award-winning artist and Creative Director for Malibu Red NE-YO, and some of YouTube’s top artists. To kick off the celebration, Fridays will be hosting launch events on June 6th in Los Angeles, New York City, Miami, Washington, and Chicago. All events will feature exciting promotions, well-renowned DJs, local celebrities, and entertainment.

To enter the Red Hot Summer of Music contest, contestants will simply upload a video of themselves covering a popular song and fans will vote for the top three videos. NE-YO and his team of YouTube apprentices, musicians who became famous through YouTube, will then select one lucky winner who will win the ultimate prize – a recording session coached by NE-YO and a $1,000 Fridays gift card.

“Our Red Hot Summer of Music campaign is the perfect opportunity to influence the life of an aspiring artist," says Brian Gies, senior vice president and chief marketing officer, TGI Fridays. “Music has long been part of the Fridays experience as it’s the perfect backdrop to a great time out with food, fun, and friends. We're excited to leverage music in a way that showcases emerging talent and promotes fun and excitement for our guests all summer long.”

While enjoying the music, the best bartenders in the business will be serving up new, hand-crafted cocktails made with Malibu Red, a vibrant fusion of Caribbean Rum, Silver Tequila, and coconut liqueur. Leveraging its 48-year heritage of beverage innovation and drink quality, Fridays is shaking up the classics with two cocktails featuring Malibu Red: the new Coconut Colada Rita, which is a coconut twist on a classic margarita, and the Tropical Margarita, which is a fruity infused remix of the favorite summer cocktail.