After months of intense
searching, the curtains have drawn on the first phase of Nigeria’s biggest
music reality show, Nigerian Idol. The last two days of auditions saw the show
hit the bottomless talent pools of Benin city and Lagos giving fans some of the
most exciting auditions of the show yet. And now auditions are over, the
tension is building as Idol moves to the next stage of the competition that is
always make or break for many hopefuls—the elimination rounds.
“The competition is beginning
to unfold as the best of the lot go head to head,” said Tiwa Medubi, the
Nigerian Idol project manager. “The grit and tenacity that the contestants show
is unbelievable and you cannot help but watch to see what happens next. These
contestants leave absolutely nothing to chance; they believe that they are the
next Nigerian Idol and it is just spectacular to watch and listen to them all
give it their best shot.”
With penultimate stop at
Benin, the Nigerian Idol judges were more than pleasantly surprised with the
first contestant of the day, 26-year-old student Emmanuel Egbo with his
rendition of R. Kelly’s ‘When a Woman Loves’, and it earned him a golden ticket
straight to Lagos. The judges were even more surprised at twins Peter and Paul
Samari, and Peter made it to the next round. And though there were rough
moments, overall the judges were impressed by their first time city to the
‘Heart Beat of Nigeria’, Edo State.
The search closed on a high
with a return to Lagos for the final round of the audition, and it was a day of
guys with guitars, epic vocal dexterity and even more epic disappointment.
People from all over Nigeria gave one last push to get a coveted place in the
top 90 and a chance to be the next Idol. Lagos was the place to be for last
round of selections, and the show drew to a close on a high note, as singers
belting out Whitney, Stevie Wonder and Adele showed the judges just what they
were about. There were a few a few surprises in store as contestants from
previous seasons such as Henry McJohn and Obinna Michael tried their luck
again—and both got golden tickets. And there were no lengths that competitors
would not go to for their chance to win; Liyele Oreoluwa and Owen Ehodize,
literally crossed oceans, flying in from the United States of America for their
shot at the prize.
Now, the auditions are over
and the true battle begins: who will make it through the elimination rounds?
Nigerian Idol airs every
weekend on: NTA Network at 4.00pm on Sundays and 3.00pm on Saturdays; Sound
City and ONTV at 7.00pm on Saturdays and Sundays; STV at 8.00pm on
Saturdays and Sundays; and on TVC at 9.00pm on Saturdays and Sundays.
Afrobeat Legend and new judge
Femi Kuti, international performing artist Jeffery Daniel from 80’s disco/dance
group Shalamar, and Nigeria’s soul diva Yinka Davies are the judges this season,
with suave host Ill Rhymz will bringing us the highs and the lows throughout
the competition.
The Idol grand prize is worth
$100,000, in which the lucky winner will get: 7.5 million naira in cash, recordings
contract also worth 7.5 million naira, and a brand new SUV. Runner-ups will
also receive prizes worth a total of 10 million naira.
Visit http://www.Nigerianidol.com
for compelling back story videos, juicy behind the scene news, and get a taste
of what is coming. For the latest information, Like the Nigerian Idol Facebook
page (www.facebook.com/NigIdol), and follow Nigeria Idol on Twitter at
www.twitter.com/NigerianIdol—and you could be eligible to win some fantastic
prizes, including the opportunity to be live in the studio for a recording.
Nigerian Idol is brought to
you by Etisalat, in association with Pepsi and supported by Beat FM.
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