The climax of Nigerian Idol Season IV last weekend has brought to fore some salient questions about the music reality show.
The questions are simply, where are the “Nigerian Idols” who have emerged from the show since inception? What is holding them back from becoming music stars? is the academy a waste of time and is the show itself just a competition without the ability to make stars?
The posers are coming due to the fact that in the last three seasons the producers of the show have not been able to produce one talent whom they have charted his or her way to music success.
Interestingly, despite this fact, Pepsi and Etisalat, both sponsors of the show have blindly and grudgingly continued to identify with it irrespective of the fact that they hardly get any positive feedback from what they might term their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
The situation, is now so bad for the sponsors of the show that they seem trapped in the programme and this has left some people concluding that it is the shame of withdrawing from a project which they had identified with abinitio that has seen them sticking around and not the believe that the project can work.
Funny enough, while other reality shows such as MTN Project Fame West Africa, South African Idol, Star Quest and several others have produced magnificent entertainers such as Iyanya, Chidinma Ekile, Darey Art-Alade, Omawunmi, Timi Dakolo, the defunct KC Presh and many more, it is not the same with Nigerian Idol, as no successful musician’s name can be associated with the brand.
Names such as Zoe, Princess J, Mercy Chinwo and Moses Obi-Adigwe have all graced the Nigerian Idol stage, but have all faded off after their time in on the Nigerian Idol stage.
Fingers are now being pointed at the judges of the show who are also supposed to train the contestants while in the house. There is the general believe that they are partly responsible for the show’s inability to produce stars. The most asked question is what can an unfulfilled and unfulfilled music acts such as Dede Mabiaku and to some extent Oneyka “Yeka Onka” have musically to impart in growing talents who need all the grooming to become stars?
With the conclusion of Season IV of the reality show and the emmergence of Evelle, real name Zibili Evelyn, one can only hope that this edition will produce a star to save the project’s organiser and sponsors (Pepsi and Etisalat) from further embarrassment.
-Ahmed Korede
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