Following an explosive round of auditions in the previous week, Nigerian Idol, Africa’s biggest music talent show, opened its doors to another set of hopefuls on Sunday, April 4, 2021.
This season’s judges – Obi Asika, Seyi Shay, and DJ Sose – were on hand once again to listen and assess the voices on display, with a view to distinguishing genuine talent from those who just showed up to make up the numbers, and to crush a few dreams while giving lifelines to others.
Gift Akugbe started off on the wrong foot, failing to pay attention to the buzzer for the first couple of minutes. She performed a cover of Teni’s “Uyo Meyo”, which failed to impress the judges; Obi Asika particularly disapproved of the performance. 18-year-old Abdullahi Olaiya from Mushin fluffed his lines, as did 22-year-old Jennifer Ekokota, both contestants each earning unanimous downvotes. Motolani Akinpelu, a 22-year-old undergraduate of Veterinary Medicine who doubles as a photographer and fashion designer, was more fortunate as she earned a golden ticket, with Seyi Shay commenting in the lines of “forget the fashion, forget the photography”.
26-year-old Oladapo earned the attention of the judges, as well as a golden ticket, with his rendition of Bruno Mars’ “Versace On The Floor”. 19-year-old Richard, who asked to be called Emmanuelai, came with a curious warm-up technique which bemused the judges, but said technique didn’t count for much as he bungled his rendition of Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song”, with Asika expressing his displeasure.
Choosing to audition with a Celine Dion song can be really tricky, as 27-year-old Fubarata Jim-George found out when she attempted the classic “Because You Loved Me”, but she succeeded in making the judges smile. Ivan took a shot with Aerosmith’s “I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing”, but just couldn’t hit any notes right; DJ Sose reacted by going under the table. 23-year-old Rachael went with Sia’s “Chandelier”, and struggled with her pitch, leading to a tearful elimination.
Olatunji’s karaoke experience counted for little as the judges frowned at his rendition of Rihanna’s “Umbrella”. Dotun Deloye, a 25-year-old cook and entrepreneur, performed Labrinth’s “Jealous” and earned himself a golden ticket, even though he sounded shaky in the final few seconds. 17-year-old Ebunoluwa Daniels brought a lot of personality to the auditions, amplifying her performance with a piano, and in spite of her nervousness, the judges each gave her a nod. Igbunu El-Igboja, 24, was a bundle of nerves as she auditioned with Omawunmi’s “Serious Love”, and let her anxiety get the better of her, leaving the judges with no choice but to send her home.
27-year-old Esther, violinist and daughter of a choir mistress, performed a cover of SWV’s “Weak”. Obi Asika loved the rendition, but Seyi Shay described it as “a karaoke performance” and “lacking in emotion”. With a verdict of 2 to 1, she managed to see her dreams kept alive.
Seyi Shay disapprovingly described Nana Omoruan’s performance as “spoken word poetry”, and the judges were just as unimpressed with Kelvin’s cover of Common’s “Glory”. 24-year-old John Oluwabusuyi auditioned with his original composition but failed to convince the judges. Daniel Ikechi was more fortunate, as his guitar-assisted performance of his own original song earned applause from the judges, with Seyi Shay speaking highly of his penmanship.
Amidst frayed nerves and tough song choices, the judges somehow got around to picking the few grains of potentials from the basin of contestants. There was no major controversy unlike the last time out, but this week’s auditions were engaging nonetheless, and from the preview we saw last night, we can already tell that next week’s episode is going to have everyone talking.
Nigerian Idol Season 6 is hosted by IK Osakioduwa, and the show is sponsored by Bigi Drinks and Tecno Mobile. Viewers can watch the new season of Nigerian Idol via the DStv app on multiple devices at no additional cost. The app is available for download on iOS and Android devices. For more information, visit www.africamagic.tv/nigerianidol .
