With less than five weeks to go, the heat had intensified on Season 6 of Nigerian Idol, Africa’s biggest music talent show.
Fans were clearly busy voting to keep their faves in the competition during the week, as seven million votes were counted in the online polls. There were seven contestants remaining, but they all knew that by the end of the night, someone’s journey would have come to an end. For the judges – DJ Sose, Obi Asika and Seyi Shay – all they could do was observe and leave a few comments, while the host, IK Osakioduwa, called out the voting results.
The theme for tonight’s live performances was “Fela Week”, in honour of the late Afrobeat legend Fela Anikulapo-Kuti. The seven contestants, amidst painted faces, got things off to a flyer with a joint performance of the classic “Water No Get Enemy.” There were also a few words of approval from Seun Kuti, who mentored the contestants earlier in the week. Bigi Drinks, one of the show’s sponsors, surprised each of the contestants with a cash gift of two hundred thousand naira.
The fans were kind to Comfort, who had been described by Seun Kuti as “confident” earlier in the week. She opted to perform a cover of “Observation Is No Crime”, with vocal assistance from the live band. DJ Sose and Obi Asika both remarked that she seemed very comfortable on stage.
There was salvation for Faith Jason, who reflected on how he was star-struck during his first meeting with Seun Kuti. He went with a cover of “Palava”, which the judges seemed pleased with, even though Obi Asika noted that his vocal pitch fluctuated in the early seconds of his performance.
Fans also came through for Francis Atela, who described his trip to Kalakuta Republic as an “exhilarating experience.” For the night’s theme, his song choice was “Yellow Fever”, which he performed with some help from the live band. Obi Asika described the cover as a “superstar performance”, but DJ Sose noted that he “could have pushed a little more.”
Emmanuel took a deep breath when he heard his name, relieved that he had been saved by the voters for at least another week. He chose to perform “No Agreement”, a song which Fela had composed to call out the late M.K.O Abiola on a debt owed. DJ Sose lauded the performance, referring to him as a “born star.” However, Seyi Shay complained that she “couldn’t connect to the song.”
For the Port Harcourt-born Kingdom, there was some assistance from the live band as he performed a cover of “Gentleman”, which had the judges rise from their seats in approval. Seyi Shay described it as “incredible”, and Obi Asika seemed very pleased too.
The sixth and final contestant to be saved by the voting public was Akunna, who expressed surprise at the direction of the votes. For 16-year-old Beyonce, an exciting musical adventure had come to an end.
Akunna’s song choice for tonight was “Lady”, a song which Seun Kuti used to perform decades ago to open concerts for his late father. Obi Asika commended her approach to the performance, and DJ Sose seemed pretty delighted as well.
For next week’s live performances scheduled to hold on Sunday, June 13, 2021, the remaining six contestants would each be performing two covers: one jazz song and one pop song of their choice. With stardom and lofty dreams at stake, expect fireworks in another seven days.
At this stage of the competition, the power to determine who stays and who leaves is solely in the hands of the viewers. Voting on Nigerian Idol is via the website, mobile site, MyDStv, and MyGOtv apps and via SMS on participating networks – Airtel, MTN, and 9mobile. You can vote for your favourite contestant via the Africa Magic website, www.africamagic.tv/nigerianidol, and the Africa Magic mobile site by selecting contestants of your choice and entering your number of votes and clicking VOTE. Voting via these platforms is limited to 100 votes per user. MyDStv App and MyGOtv App votes are free, and votes are allocated based on your subscription packages.
You can also catch up on all the behind-the-scenes action, trivia games involving the contestants, and reactions to eviction announcements by checking out “Countdown to Showtime”, which airs from Monday to Saturday exclusively on Showmax.
