by Ifreke Inyang
It was a festival of talents of some sorts. Young Nigerians in Abuja and from neighbouring states stormed the Chelsea Hotel to be auditioned for the second installment of Nigerian Idol. The audition, which lasted for two days – Friday and Saturday, witnessed a large turnout of music hopefuls. The halls were packed full in the morning, with entrants trooping in till the evening either getting a gleeful ‘yes’, a sad ‘no’ and some wrenching ‘maybes’.
There was a twist on the second day, as the Lead sponsor, Etisalat staged a free concert for the excited young people to get a feel of the energy. The concert was headlined by rapper, Naeto C and featured Jahbless, Olamide, DJ Zeez and DJ Neptune. It was a fantastic event and no one wanted to leave!
Jeffrey Daniel, an international choreographer and one of the judges said as much. “It was an exciting time. And you can understand why – this is the real deal; connecting with a global platform that has made stars across the world. We focused on helping Nigeria’s amazing young music talent ignite their dreams and seeing some amazing performers is what this is all about. The talent was magical and Abuja was exciting.”
The next stop is the Garden City, Port Harcourt. The Nigerian Idol audition train will make its way to the Hotel Presidential on the 14th and 15th of October. Chichi Nwoko, who is the Project Manager is looking forward excitedly to it. “Based on the applications, we are frankly ready for a deluge in Port Harcourt,” she said. “The registrations are pouring in, but that’s exactly what it’s about – the more talented young people enter the competition, the more we have a change to choose some of Nigeria’s best next stars to thrill the audience and the public over the next magical months of the show.”
The Idol franchise is represented in continents across the world, from America to Asia, the Middle East, Europe and Africa. The show is the most popular musical show in history churning out globally recognised stars like Ruben Stoddard and Jennifer Hudson. The next Nigerian Idol will join the ranks of Yeka Onka who won the first Season of the show.
To register:
1. Complete the Registration form at http://nigerianidol.com/registration
2. Confirm your Audition location, by sending an SMS from your Etisalat
line with your FULL NAME & PREFERRED AUDITION CITY to 5599.
3. Show up at the audition venue with the ETISALAT SMS confirmation, a printed copy of your application form and 2 passport photos.
*Those who register online will be given priority; however forms are also available at the venue of the audition.
Nigerian Idol is brought to you by Etisalat, in association with Pepsi and Sony. It is also supported by partners, Air Nigeria and Beat FM. Auditions also hold in Enugu and Lagos.
I'm waiting in Lagos o!