After weeks of singing their hearts out, Victory and Precious Mac are the last two contestants standing in the music reality show, Nigerian Idol Season 8, which ends today.
This year’s edition of the show, owned by MultiChoice but co-sponsored by Bigi and Tecno, hit its most crucial point on Sunday night as the duo emerged as the top two finalists, while Quest sadly bid goodbye to a chance to win the ₦100 million in prizes.
The show recorded 32 million votes, making the total number of votes recorded so far 132 million since the Live Show began on May 28. The week’s Sunday live show began with the most nerve-wracking eviction of the season, as the show host IK Osakiodua declared that Victory and Precious Mac would battle for the win and coveted title next week at the finale.
Quest took a minute to thank everyone who supported her till the Top 3 as she bowed out of the competition. She also promised her fans that her journey was just beginning and only good things would follow her exit.
With Quest’s eviction, Victory and Precious Mac gave the judges, studio audience, and viewers at home a triple dose of entertainment with their live performances of the judges’ choice, contestant’s choice, and a rendition of certain songs.
In the first of three rounds – ‘How It Should Have Been Done,’ Precious Mac performed Adele’s Rolling in the Deep, a song written by Adele and Paul Epworth as the lead single to her second album 21. Victory ‘tutored’ Apollos, one of the wannabe Nigerian Idol during the audition stage (wooden mic) how James Brown’s This Is A Man’s World should be executed. Simi remarked the performance was “sexy as hell”.
Precious Mac kicked off the second round of performances, tagged, ‘The Judges’ Favourite’ with a rendition of Shania Twain’s From This Moment. After the performance, D’Banj described her as “a real superstar,” while Simi praised her vocal control.
Performing Nicole C. Mullen’s My Redeemer Lives, which was picked for him by the Kokomaster as D’Banj is also called, Victory gave a good account of himself not just as a potential music superstar, but as a church boy, as he said.
The judges loved his performance of the song then, and he didn’t disappoint Bangalee’s choice of the song as he literally turned the performance into a gospel concert, leading the studio audience to an awesome moment of praise to God.
As a follow-up to her comment from Victory’s first performance, Simi said, “Your range is remarkable. It’s incredible how you switched from sexy Vic to Pastor Vic.”
To begin the night’s final performances – songs the contestants believe were their best performance of the season – IK showed Precious Mac her first audition. She became very emotional when he said the judges had always seen something special in her since the first day she sang to them.
The 22-year-old performed Ayra Star and Crayon’s Overloading and got stellar reviews from the judges. They commended her for maintaining the vibe Afrobeats songs deserve.
Like Precious Mac, Victory also had an emotional replay of his first audition before his performance of Harry Styles’ As It Was. The judges hailed him for his positive energy, as D’Banj called him a “Light Warrior.”
The top 2 contestants gave stellar performances for the semi-final, each holding their own in the battle to become the Nigerian Idol. The task is now up to the viewers to crown a winner tomorrow night. Voting opened on the website, mobile site, DStv, and GOtv apps till Friday, 9 p.m.
