A twenty-six-year-old. Austin Aminu has won the first Northern gospel music show held in Minna, the Niger State capital.
Aminu, who began his music career at age of eight, thanked his mother for believing in him and supporting him to win the contest.
He won the contest after slugging it out with 12 other contestants at the grand finale, which was organised by the Resident Pastor of House on the Rock, Minna and went home with N500,000 as the grand prize.
“I barely made it to the finals. When I saw my low performance, my challenge was to go back and work on myself to be better and I thank God that God came through for me and I won this contest,” he said.
Aminu disclosed that he would use the money to boost his music career and take care of his family saying that in the next few months, he will be coming out with new music that would encourage people to praise and worship God at all times.
Applauding Aminu for his resilience, the Resident Pastor of the House of Rock, Pastor Peterock Saddiq explained that the winner was almost disqualified from the finals because of his low performance but was able to make a grand comeback which was splendid.
Saddiq explained that the JIA Gospel Music Show is a gospel show aimed to raise a platform for upcoming gospel artists to give an expression of their voice, gifts and abilities in Northern Nigeria.
“I noticed that in gospel music, people from the North struggle and do not have the opportunity to air their views. Most often, these youths have to go to bigger towns like Lagos and Abuja to make their dreams a reality.
“In JIA Gospel Music Show, we are raising a platform for young gospel singers in the north. The idea is that the show will become one of the gospel music shows in the north and Nigeria.”
He said that apart from the winner and runners-up, the show will allow other gospel singers to be seen and heard by sponsors and other gospel recording outfits who will sign them on adding that in the show, everyone is a winner.
Saddiq also disclosed that the show would be done twice annually, at the beginning and the end of the year adding that the portal for the registration of the next show would be opened in May for the show which would hold in October.
The first runner-up, Beauty Akinoluwatunde went home with N100,000 while the second runner-up, Milcha Danladi went home with N200,000.
