Nigerian Idol S8: Contestants brace up to celebrate Africa’s diverse musical sounds

Tomorrow, Victory Gbakara, Savy Henry, Chisom, Constance, Precious Mac, Ose Daniel, Goodness, and Quest among others will continue their battle to remain in contention for the ultimate diadem in Season 8 of Nigerian Idol.

The remaining top contestants all appear battle ready to win, not just the approval of the judges, but the love and votes of the audience.
The Nigerian Idol franchise has, over the years, produced some of the biggest Nigerian singers including Timi Dakolo, Mercy Chinwo, and Omawumi who have gone ahead to make their marks on the music turf.

The contestants will tomorrow be celebrating Africa and its diverse musical sounds with hits from the continent’s music legends and icons in line with the week’s theme, “Celebrating Mama Africa.”

Chisom and Constance will be giving some cool, good vibes from Mavin Record signee Rema. The former will perform Holiday, while the latter will bop on the rave-making hit track Calm Down, which features American singer Selena Gomez.

Ose Daniel will be doing justice to Afrobeat King, Fela Anikulapo Kuti’s critically acclaimed single Zombie, just as Savy Henry will be thrilling on stage with his crooner vibe as he will be performing Jailer by Asa.

The trio of Precious Mac, Quest, and Victory will take everyone to South Africa as they perform classic hits from some of South Africa’s music legends. While Precious Mac will be performing Umqombothi by Yvonne Chaka Chaka, Quest will be performing Paradise Road by the South African female group, Joy. Victory will perform Prisoner by Lucky Dube.

Goodness on her part will bring some good vibes with her performance of Ku Lo Sa by Oxlade featuring Camilla Cabello.
From 10 to 8: Shocking Exit Of Reigny, Abraham

After last Sunday’s pulsating ‘Live Show’ performances, the top 10 contestants were reduced to eight with Reigny and Abraham’s eviction, which many described as shocking.

Upon the commencement of the day’s Live Show began, host IK Osakioduwa, announced to viewers that a contestant will be evicted before any performance. After a little banter and a photo session with Simi, he announced that the first elimination of the night was about to take place.

The lights dimmed and amidst the tense atmosphere, he proclaimed Abraham as the first contestant to leave the show this season to the surprise of many. A saddened Abraham was invited on stage to express feelings to which he simply responded: “It is well.”

Last week, Abraham delivered what some described as the best performance of the week with his rendition of Go The Distance by Michael Bolton, a perfect example of Don’t Judge a book by its Cover.

Remarking on the performance, Dbanj said: “You showed us what you can do with your voice,” while an impressed Obi Asika said, “He took it home and made the audience believe him.”

With the week’s theme being“Billboard songs” and contestants assigned some top-of-the-chart tracks to perform, Quest was the first to go on the stage with her performance of Damages by Tems.

The Judges all agreed she struggled with the verses of the song, but flourished during the chorus. Dbanj suggested she might have struggled because of her song’s choice.

Next was Savy Henry who performed It’s Plenty by Burna Boy. His performance was critiqued by the judges who felt he did not give his best.
Precious Mac continued to make her mark on the show with another splendid vocal performance of Overload, by Mavin Records All-stars.

Marinating his consistency, Chisom did not disappoint, as he delivered his performance of Peace Be Unto You by Asake to earn the first standing ovation of the season from the studio audience. He lit the stage with his outstanding performance.

Last week, he wowed the studio audience and viewers across the globe with Usher’s You Got It Bad, which he performed like he owned the song. His voice and swag further endeared him to the audience members, who were truly impressed with his performance. This was followed by Goodness’ superb rendition of Ladipoe’s Feelings.

With Osakioduwa’s further announcement ion that there was going to be a Top 8 and not a Top 9; it meant another elimination was looming. Many in the audience were shocked, as they didn’t see elimination coming. At that point, Constance, Victory, Ose Daniel, and Reigny were tensed, knowing that one of them would also be leaving the show. A few minutes afterward, Reigny became the second contestant to exit the reality music contest on that stage, after she performed Heaven Sent by Keyshia Cole.

When asked to bare her mind on the development, she said her mind was hazy about all that was going on.
Reacting to the performance, Simi who was the least convinced about Reigny’s ability to do well in the show as it gets hotter, however, admitted that she proved her mettle.
Superb Performances

Notwithstanding the tense atmosphere and pressure on her to impress the judges and the audience, Constance, who is the youngest contestant on the show once again showed that she has what it takes to become the next “Nigerian Idol,” as she delivered a composed performance of Alone by Burnaboy. This was commended by the judges who felt that she did well with her performance.

She had last week at the opening of the live show did justice to Adele’s All I Ask, a song that is not popular among her peers. Her rendition proved the saying right that age is only but a number, giving the evening a perfect wrap.

Responding to Osakioduwa’s query about their comment on the performance, Simi and Dbanj said their comments were more about her connection to the song, and not her singing skill.

It was another round of Afrobeat bop as Ose Daniel serenaded the audience with his rendition of Bandana by Fireboy DML. His performance was praised by the judges and when asked by about his future in music by Osakioduwa, Daniel said he would like to follow in the path of Afrobeat.

Last week, he got everyone’s (the judges and the audience) attention with his performance of Adele’s Make you feel my love, which made Asika specifically describe his voice as sounding like sugar.

Simi pointed to the fact that she did her first dance to the song on her wedding day and that Daniel sang it beautifully. For Dbanj, Daniel sounded very passionate and more like hot chocolate as opposed to Asika’s sugar.

As usual, Victory Gbakara capped the night with his smooth and captivating performance of As It Was by Harry Styles. Dbanj found the performance entertaining and effortless, while Simi praised his exceptional control over his skills.

At the opening of the live show, Victory told the audience that he came to the show ready, confident, and determined to bring his all, as he serenaded the judges and audience with Alicia Keys’ Fallin, which earned him the love of the audience.

Voting for the contestants starts immediately after each live show and closes on Thursdays, at 9 pm. Viewers can access 100 votes on the Africa Magic website and another 100 votes on the mobile site to vote for their favourite contestant. You can also get as many as 2500 votes on MyDStv or MyGOtv app.