40 artistes, 12 traditional drummers qualify for Goldberg Ariya Repete Talent Hunt quarter final

Committed to the discovering and development of new talents in the two indigenous Yoruba music genres, juju and fuji as well as in drumming, the Nigerian Breweries, Goldberg sponsored Ariya Repete Traditional Music and Drums Talent Hunt have seen 52 winners advance to the quarter-final stage.

At the auditions and selection that held in eight cities including Lagos, Sango Ota, Ado-Ekiti, Akure, Ilesha, Ilorin, Ibadan and Oyo Town, several contestants made up of solo artistes and groups came to slug it out to book a place in the quarter-finals of the competition.

The contestants in the first and second round of the auditions impressed the judges made up of Juju musicians such as, Wale Thompson of Lalale Friday fame; ace radio broadcaster, Adebayo Faleke; Alhaji Sikiru Kolotiti Agboola, Alhaji Kabir Kehinde Akanni well known as Baby Barrister, Dele Bravo and Babatope Temidayo popularly known as Puffy-Tee, with their talents and craftsmanship.

Following their emergence as winners, the successful contestants now go into the Ariya Repete Academy, where they will undergo mentorship and grooming from experienced fuji and juju musicians and managers.

Speaking about the competition, Portfolio Manager, Mainstream Lager and Stout brands, NBPlc, Emmanuel Agu, said the participants at this year’s edition of the talent hunt are competing for bigger prize money compared to the previous editions, with the overall winner in each category carting away a grand prize of N2million.

He reaffirmed Nigerian Breweries’ commitment to discovering new talents in the two indigenous Yoruba music genres as well as in drumming, saying, “Goldberg’s Ariya Repete creates an avenue for fuji, juju musicians and traditional drummers to showcase their talents as a means of promoting Yoruba language and rich heritage.

“Nigerian Breweries is committed to discovering new talents in the two indigenous Yoruba music genres of Juju and Fuji as well as in drumming, and the Ariya Repete platform is positioned to make this happen,” he added.

In Sango Ota, Ogun State, Prince Ade Michael emerged winner and clinched the first position in juju genre. He was followed by Bukola Ahmed came in second place. Oriade Calypso came first in the fuji category, and was closely followed by Sulaimon Ajao in the second position, while Mohammed Adewale came third. In the drumming category, the Igba-Iwase Group came first while the Eniafe Group came second.

At the Ado Ekiti audition and selection, Ayodele Olatunji emerged winner of the Juju category, and was closely followed by Adeyemi Ase, who came second. In the Fuji category, Gbenga Adeyeye was emerged winner, and was followed by Saheed Aremu Olayemi Kehinde, who clinched the second and third position respectively. In the drummers category the Ayangbayi Group came first, while the Alofuge Group clinched the second position.

It was clash of the best in Oyo Town, as Sadeeq Ishola won the Fuji category. Taiwo Suleiman followed him closely, while Luqman Ishola got settled in third position. In the Juju category, Femi Ayeni and Sunny Adura booked their places in the quarter-final.

In Akure, Dauda Muritala won the Fuji category while Oladele Damilola and Osoba Adeshina came second and third respectively. In Juju, Amao Babatunde came first followed by Adebayo Adetayo, and while Sekere Group came first in traditional drum category. They were followed by Sakuba Group, which clinched the second position.