The debut season of the MTN Y’ello Star talent and capacity building show came to an end on Sunday, December 13, 2020. It saw Dotti become the first winner while Storm earned 15% of the votes to emerge as first runner-up.
The competition had been fierce for the five weeks it ran, but some contestants garnered fans as they thrilled the judges with good music. Storm managed to scrunch up the second-highest votes on the show.
He struggled a little bit through the season, never quite managing to get more than the average score or connect with the judges. In his first performance of ‘Hotline Bling’ by Drake, he got a 4.3 rating from the judges. He had grown so much by the time he had his last rateable performance of Marvin Gaye’s ‘Distant Lover’ on the show, that the judges gave him a standing ovation.
He was put up for possible relegation in the fourth week of the game alongside David Garland, G-Isaac, Jesse D, Oiza and Meyi. The fans saved him and gave him one last chance to prove that he deserved to stay in the game. That moment was a turning point in Storm’s journey on the show as he brought his A-game to every performance afterwards.
At yesterday’s finale, He received 15% of the votes, only 6% higher than the second runner-up, Gideon, and 49% below the winner. Throughout the show, he went up against 40 national finalists, before scaling through to the final 14. He was one of the few to make it into the top 14 from the first national audition, without a ‘maybe’ or having to do a ‘sing-off’.
Storm grew before the viewers’ eyes, improving with every performance. He was never one of the judges’ favourites, but he always put his best foot forward. He was one of the best performers on the show, and he made up for the little quality he lacked in vocal dexterity with his dances and upbeat numbers.
It was a hard road filled with practice, criticism, classes from the Henley Business School and Berklee School of Music, but it helped to shape Storm. His journey as a Y’ello Star ambassador is only just starting. Aside from having bragging rights forever, he will also receive N3 million and a scholarship to the Berklee School of Music 2021 Summer Programme in New York. He will also get a chance to work with six-time Grammy winner and Y’ello Star judge, Malik Yusef on a project.
The Y’ello Star competition was just the first start to what we hope is a life filled with years of making beautiful music, and we can’t wait to see what he does next.
