After initially receiving over 11,000 audition entries from around Nigeria, MTN Y’ello Star officially opened on Saturday, November 7, with 40 contestants for the national sing-off, out of which only 14 made the final selection. The contestants either got a “Yes”, a “No”, or a “Maybe” from the judges.
During the national sing off, only 7 contestants got definite “Yeses” from the judges, which meant they had immediately made it to the finals. This left 7 slots to be filled, and by Saturday, November 14, the 12 contestants who had gotten “Maybes” from the judges, had a second chance to impress them and make it to the finals. Only 7 out of these 12 were eventually chosen.
The 12 contestants were paired in twos to face off each other. Six teams in total. The contestants that impressed the judges went through the yellow door into the final, while it was the end of the Y’ello star road for the others.
Let’s see how they did.
Rakael and Innocent
These two super talented contestants faced off in an exciting performance of a mash up Shakira’s “Waka Waka”, Burna Boy’s “Dangote”, Tiwa Savage’s “Ole”, Davido’s “If” and several other great selections. This was a fierce round with both contestants not giving an inch away.
In spite of their efforts, the judges were not greatly impressed by the pair. They both got Nos from the judges.
Next up were Caesar and Rael – this was a slower medley of songs like, Justin Bieber’s “Sorry”, Sam Smith’s “I’m Not The Only One”, Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You”. This pair had great energy and synergy and both got a Yes from the judges that saw them in the finals.
Gideon and IBK made up the third set. They had a mashup of hits like Rihanna’s “Diamonds”, Maroon 5’s “Memories”, Wizkid’s “Ayo”, Beyonce’s “Brown Skin Girl”, among others. IBK got a No, but Gideon got a Yes and moved to the finals.
Things get even more heated by the fourth team with Fayfay Diamond and Uche facing off to Wizkid’s “Energy”, Adele’s “Rolling In The Deep”, John Legend’s “Ordinary People”. Fayfay impressed the judges and got a slot in the finals, Uche went home.
Uzezi and Jesse Drums came up next and this duo left it all on the stage with their synergy, powerful voices and amazing performance. Performing Adele’s “Rollin in the Deep”, Burna Boy’s “Dangote”, Bill Withers’ “Lean On Me”. And from the smiles on their faces, the judges definitely enjoyed the performance. Uzezi got a yes.
And in a surprising move, the judges used their veto power, to get Jesse Drums to the finals. The initial number of contestants expected to move to the finals were 13. However, the judges called that the votes between Jesse Drums and Gideon were too close to call and decided to let them both to the finals, bringing the total number of finalists, to 14.
Banky W explaining the judge’s inspiration, reiterated that MTN Y’ello Star was not just about who had the highest score or who was the best singer, but rather, its focus was on empowering the contestants.
Jesse, though visually impaired, did not allow this to derail him from trying to actualize his dreams. He had come all the way from the North, to compete at the nationals and now had a shot at the finals. For these reasons and his pure energy, the judges let him into the finals.
The seven contestants that made it to the finals, out of the initial 12 were, David Garland, Gideon, Fayfay Diamond, Uzezi, Jesse Drums, Caesar and Rael. Next up, was the Opening Gala.
