All Set For Nigerian Idol Season 9 Theatre Week
After three weeks of grueling screening, listening to brilliant singers with huge potentials, some not-so-good crooners who have honed their skills in the bathroom, and some outright terrible pseudo-singers, the judges on the Nigeria Idol show have decided on the contestants that get to continue their journey at the theatre week.
For the past three weeks, Omawumi and Ric Hassani, joined by Emem, DJ Neptune and 9ice as guest judges, have been on the painstaking effort of finding Nigeria’s next music superstar. The 9th season of the show has proven to be more challenging as the best of the best showed up. There are also contestants from previous seasons who have come back hoping to improve their lot this season.
The third day of auditions was a battle for the much-coveted golden ticket as many contestants gave their best to impress the judges. Gracia received a golden ticket after three yeses from the judges when she sang Jennifer Hudson’s One Night Only. In Omawumi’s words “she ate and left no crumbs.”
25-year-old Maio used his smooth voice to win the heart of the judges with the way he sang beautifully. After only reaching the top 29 at the 8th edition of the show, Maio makes a second attempt at becoming the next Nigerian Idol. His rendition of Sam Smith’s Stay With Me earned him a pass to the next stage.
The saying “like father, like son” came into play as Professor Kelvin continues on his path to becoming a bigger star than his musician father. After making it past the auditions in a previous season of the show, he comes back to give winning a second chance. His rendition of Adele’s Rolling in The Deep earned him two yeses, giving him a pass to the next stage. He was however told to be mindful of being nervous while on stage.
Not all the auditions ended in a golden ticket, however. General Makinde, the very first contestant of the episode planned to blow the judges away and believed he had what it took to become the next big thing in Nigeria. The judges were not impressed, though, and he walked away empty-handed.
Lil Queen, a 23-year-old lady, decided to stand against all odds during the audition, after sharing a heartfelt story of how people attribute her voice to a cat. She gave her all during the auditions, however, the judges were not convinced about her pursuing a music career.
In all, outstanding contestants were given golden tickets which allowed them to move to the theatre week. Nigerian Idol is about recognising the best out of all the talented hopefuls. During the auditions, contestants were allowed to choose and sing their own songs. Most of them predictably chose their most comfortable song either due to voice range, familiarity with the lyrics, the genre of music, or because it was their favourite song. Nothing wrong with that, but it is not always going to be easy which is why theatre week is different.
During theatre week, the singers will be given specific songs to sing. In that period, those who do not impress the judges with their rendition will be dropped. Judging from the end of the third episode, the competition is about to get really hot, and contestants have got to give it their best shot.
Follow the 9th season of Nigerian Idol with new episodes every Sunday at 7 PM on Africa Magic Showcase (DStv Channel 151, GOtv Channel 12), and Africa Magic Family (DStv Channel 154, GOtv Channel 2). Viewers who missed Sunday’s show can also enjoy the experience via the DStv Stream App at no additional cost. Catch the highlights on Showmax every Monday at 7 pm.
