MTV and Sean 'Diddy' Combs Join Forces to Create the Ultimate Back-Up Band

"Making His Band" Premiers Monday, July 27 at 10PM ET/PT

Series Follows 42 Undiscovered Musicians as They Compete For a Spot in Diddy's New Band

NEW YORK, July 22 -- Sean "Diddy" Combs returns to MTV in his latest reality series "Making His Band" premiering Monday, July 27 at 10:00PM ET/PT. Marking a new twist, viewers will witness a personal side of Diddy as he launches a nationwide search for the musicians to back him up on tour for his new album LAST TRAIN TO PARIS, his most ambitious project yet. The album features a sound that Combs describes as electro-hip hop soul funk.

Throughout four cycles of "Making The Band," viewers have seen Diddy as a tough critic whose hard work and high expectations created successful groups ranging from hip-hop to pop to R&B. Now Diddy turns that tough criticism on himself as well as on the musicians trying to make his band. Covering choreography, song writing and production, Diddy will call upon five judges to mentor the contestants and help select the members of his back-up band. Pulled from a diverse pool of untapped talent, the artists selected will live together in Los Angeles as they vie for a spot to join Diddy on tour.

"In 'Making His Band' viewers will see a new side of me as reflected in my new album 'LAST TRAIN TO PARIS'" says Combs. "They will walk away knowing that this project is a personal and refreshing look at the man behind the music."

Last season "Making the Band" ranked #1 in the Thursday 9PM time period among P12-43 and reached over 52 million total viewers. The series has remained one of the highest rated shows on MTV.

Viewers can head over to MTV.com to see weekly sneak peeks, exclusive bonus footage, full episodes, cast bios and photos. And for those who want more, MTV.com will post Diddy's Twitter feed (www.twitter.com/iamdiddy) to keep up with his journey.

Making His Band is Executive Produced by Sean "Diddy" Combs, Ted Iredell and Perry Dance. Sue Langham will serve as CO-Executive Producer. Jacquelyn French is the MTV executive in charge for MTV.

Meet the Judges:

Laurie Ann Gibson:

Making the Band's favorite choreographer is back. After training with the world famous Alvin Ailey School of Dance, Gibson has choreographed megastars like Lady Gaga, the Jonas Brothers, Mary J. Blige, Alicia Keys and Diddy. Whether she's bringing the "boom kack" or warning artists about the "gotcha gotcha," Laurie Ann gives guidance like no else in the business. Now Diddy wants her to apply her distinctive style to not just dancers but musicians, too.

Romeo Johnson

Romeo has been a vocal coach for 15 years in both Atlanta and Los Angeles. His career includes touring with Rufus, Teddy Riley & Guy, Blackstreet, Patti Austin, Xzibit and Queen Latifah, among others. On top of that, he has the distinction of being the only vocalist ever to tour with both Janet and Michael Jackson. When Diddy needs a vocal coach, he calls Romeo. His depth of experience gives Romeo the tools he needs to sort out the complex harmonies of any music - especially Diddy's fresh new sound.

Om'Mas Keith:

Om'Mas is a historian, producer, composer, lyricist, educator and co-founder of the iconic performance group SA-RA(TM). He's worked with Kanye West, Dr. Dre, Andre 3000, Fergie, 50 Cent, Jill Scott, John Legend, Will i am, Erykah Badu & Alicia Keyes, and he draws his musical prowess from his formal studies since age 3 with mentors Max Roach, T.S. Monk, Jam Master Jay & Gary Bartz. A tastemaker "Professor Om'Mas" always injects his own off-beat sensibility to the proceedings.

Rob Lewis:

Rob Lewis is a music producer, songwriter, arranger, and musical director. Originally from Chicago, Rob went to school at the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston. His clients include New Kids On The Block, Babyface, Christina Aguilera, The Pussycat Dolls, Toni Braxton, and Patti LaBelle. Diddy is counting on Rob's familiarity with a broad range of musical styles and his expertise on keyboards to help him find the right members of his band.

Nisan Stewart:

Nisan Stewart was born in Southern California and spent his early years as a drummer in his father's church. Nisan was "discovered" by world-renowned producer, Timberland. Since then he's toured with and produced for artists such as JayZ, Diddy, Beyonce, Missy Elliott, and 50 Cent. Nisan's been on the road with Diddy as both drummer and musical director, so he knows better than anyone what kind of musician and personality Diddy's looking for.

About MTV:

MTV is the dynamic, vibrant experiment at the intersection of music, creativity and youth culture. For over 27 years, MTV has evolved, challenged the norm, and detonated boundaries -- giving each new generation a creative outlet and voice that entertains, informs and unites on every platform and screen. On-air, MTV is the number one rated full-day ad-supported cable network for P12-24. Online, MTV.com grew a healthy +9% from 1Q09, averaging 23.6M unique visitors for the second quarter of 2009. The site continues to grow video content streams, up significantly from 1Q09 by +15%, generating a whopping 262.2M streams in Q209, a +7% increase from the same time period last year. And MTV's successful sibling networks MTV2, mtvU and MTV Tr3s each deliver unprecedented customized content, super-serving music fans, college students and young American Latinos like no one else. MTV is part of MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms.