Naeto C
By Ada Igboanugo
Nigerian Hip-Hop Superstar, Naeto-C who came on the show as a guest judge representing the absent Femi Kuti, on the first theatre show for the top 30 contestants, decided to go for the jugular in his debut judging career. He took a tough stance in his assessment of the participants during their performances on the show.
Naeto said that he was harsh in his assessments because, he wanted to drive them to bring out their best. “This is a competition, and when you’re in a contest, you have to bring something extra to the table,” he explained.
He also encouraged them by telling them that in life, it isn’t always the most talented singer that becomes the star at the end of the day so even if they don’t make it through the competition, they should not give up on their career.
In as much as some would have found the move a tad callous, being his first and that also the contestants, fearing the consequence of intimidation, someone else seemed to think the act was “pretty cool”.
The Head of Events and Sponsorship, Etisalat Nigeria, Modupe Thanni said that she was impressed with the level of talent that the competition had to offer, stating that the competition will be even stiffer than the previous editions. She also added that Etisalat as a proud supporter of the aspirations of youths is supporting the competition in an even bigger way this season.
First-timers were welcome into the show to battle for their crown, but alas, so was a second-timer. The first ten of the top thirty saw return contestant Obinna Michael a.k.a. Mr. Byno making it to the top 30 stage of the competition. He might have lost a chance in his initial debut episode but he isn’t about to back down, at least not yet. Speaking on his progress, he said, “Making it to this stage is not a small feat, there were many talented contestants but it is my hope this year that I would progress past this point in this season.”
So far, the first three contestants have emerged and the next ten contestants battle it out with all they’ve got. Sadeeat, Vicci and Debbie Rise were the three contestants to make it through based on the votes from viewers.
Speaking on the results, one of the judges on the show, Jeffry Daniels said that he was impressed by the way Nigerians voted and urged them to keep voting for in order to keep the best talent in the competition. Also speaking on the results show, Head of Events and Sponsorship, Modupe Thanni said, “On behalf of Etisalat, we congratulate those that have made it to the next stage of the competition and encourage them to step up their game in order to progress in the competition.”
She also encouraged those that did not get as much votes not to give up hope as the wild-card segment was still there and if they take the judges advice and work on their performances they could still be among the top twelve.
One huge surprise of the result show was Obinna Michael a.k.a. Mr. Byno who didn’t make it through this stage of the competition. He said that he hoped that the wild card segment of the show would present an opportunity to make it through to the next stage.
Meanwhile the next group of 10 contestants performed on Sunday’s show in a bid to win the hearts of Nigerian viewers and make it into the top 12. After the 10 performances, the judges agreed that most of the contestants shockingly gave less than their usual best. They said that all the contestants needed to put in more work and let their confidence shine through.
Guest Judge, Naeto C, insisted that some of the contestants had chosen songs that did not help their vocal strengths. He challenged them to learn how to use their voices better and work with songs that helped them project their skills as contestants performed songs of their choice by foreign artistes in a bid to show their skills before the judges and for a good cause too as this season is bigger and better with the winner carting away with N20 million worth of prizes, including N7.5 million in cash, a brand new SUV, and a recording contract with a record label. The first runner-up will receive the sum of N1.5 million and a saloon car.