Richmond Atu-Johnson, a popular Abuja-based vocal coach and CEO of City Hill Records, says everyone is blessed with an innate talent for singing.
Atu-Johnson spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the sidelines of the first edition of a grassroots talent hunt show, tagged “You Can Sing” in Abuja.
He said that the project was borne out of the need to raise new artists and explore untapped talents in the music industry.
He expressed regret that many people wasted away because they did not have the platforms or opportunities to express their talents and were not given the chance of entertaining the world with their gifts.
“So, showcasing these talents through the virtual medium is a simple avenue to bring them out for the world to see.”
NAN reports that the grand finale of the talent hunt show, which began on March 24 ended on June 28.
‘Many talents’
He noted that a lot of budding talents abounded in the country, saying that all that was needed was for these talents to be harnessed.
“There are a lot of young people out there who feel their voices are only meant to be heard in their bedroom, bathroom or personal closet and that was how the whole idea was borne.
“So, we thought about ‘You can sing’, it’s a positive statement that you can do it no matter who you are or where you are from.
“We reached out to a lot of young people in the country to participate in the programme by using their mobile phones or the internet to record and send a sample of their songs to us,” he said.
According to him, the whole concept was done virtually.
“So, one didn’t have to bother coming to a particular location or worry about timing as we are aware that people are busy trying to make ends meet, especially in this pandemic period.
“All it takes is to spare a little time to record your voice and let the world know that you are gifted and we felt that this was an opportunity for a lot of our youths out there.
“Indeed, the array of Nigerian talents we have seen has been nothing short of exceptional and we are excited to have shown the world the quality of talent in the entertainment industry of this country,” he said.
The vocal coach also revealed that discovered talents would benefit from free training/music education and recordings, adding that the whole idea was to promote whatever talents they have through the platform.
NAN also reports that 21-year-old Mary Onyeji, from Enugu State, emerged as the winner of Season one, and got a cash prize of ₦1million.
Mrs Sonita Kwila-Orji from Gombe State finished as the first runner up, while Precious Omotosho from Kwara State settled for the second runner up position.
Onyeji, Kwila-Orji and Omotosho also won audio and video recording deals as well as a full scholarship to Cityhill Music Academy, an online Academy. (NAN)
