It was a night of fun and music on Sunday in Lagos as one of Nigeria’s popular reality television shows, Nigerian Idol, came to an end. For weeks, 12 contestants slugged it out to win the singing contest as each of them with the lowest votes by fans was booted off the competition. Eventually, it came down to the two best singers, Zadok and Progress.
At the end of the day, Progress emerged as the winner of Nigerian Idol season 7. The 21-year-old who bagged his first million as the winner of the show went home with a N30m cash prize and N100m grand prize.
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His prizes include, a brand-new SUV, a Bigi branded refrigerator and a year’s supply of Bigi drinks. He will also get to record an EP and six music videos courtesy of the organisers of the show, Multichoice. Moreso, Progress is entitled to a weekend getaway from TravelBeta, and a DStv Explora fully installed with 12 months premium subscription.
Here are some highlights from the finale of the Nigerian Idol competition.
Judges, 12 contestants open show with rendition from film, Greatest Showman
To open the show, the three judges, Obi Asika, D’banj and Simi, alongside the 12 contestants, performed a song from the 2017 American hit movie, The Greatest Showman.
The Greatest Showman is a multiple award-winning American biographical musical drama directed by Michael Gracey in his directorial debut. The film was written by Jenny Bicks and Bill Condon and starred Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron, Michelle Williams, Rebecca Ferguson, and Zendaya. The movie also featured nine original songs from Benj Pasek and Justin Paul.
The film is based on the story and life of P.T. Barnum, a famous showman and entertainer, and his creation of the Barnum & Bailey Circus and the lives of its star attractions.
Top ten epic fails during auditions
To serve a little humour for the night, the organisers of the competition showed the top ten epic fails during the auditions. It was, however, gathered that the person that was at the number one spot was given N100,000.
D’banj performs latest song, Face Show, thrills fans
Iconic Nigerian entertainer, D’banj, took to the stage to give an electrifying performance. He dished out his hit songs like Emergency, Oliver Twist, and as an icing on the cake, he thrilled the audience with his latest song, Face Show.
Also, in attendance at the event was D’banj’s wife, Lineo Didi Kilgrow, who was seen grooving to her husband’s song, as well as the fans.
First runner-up, Zadok, performs
At this point, it was time for the battle between the two contenders and Zadok was first to perform. With a choir themed performance, Zadok gave an exhilarating performance as he gave a rendition of Whitney Houston’s 1987 song, I Wanna Dance with Somebody.
Progress rocks stage with a ‘Bang’
Next up was his competitor and eventual winner, Progress, who gave an exhilarating performance with the Grammy award-winning song, Bang Bang by Ariana Grande, Jessie J, Nicki Minaj.
Simi serenades with Duduke
Shortly after Progress stepped off the stage, sonorous singer, Simi, appeared as she serenaded the audience with her hit song, Duduke. The song is an ode to her daughter, Adejare.
Pheelz delights fans with Finesse
Music producer turned singer, Pheelz, was also on the ground to perform his hit song, Finesse, which is still rocking the charts across the country.
The hit song features rave-of-the-moment artiste, Buju. While advising the contestants, the ace music producer simply said, “make it all about the music. Nothing else matters.”
Again, D’banj performs but with winner, 1st runner up
Again, D’banj mounted the stage. However, this time with the winner, Progress, and first runner up, Zadok, as the trio performed the Kokomaster’s song, Prayer.
Host with the most, IK Osakioduwa
The host of the show, IK Osakioduwa, was also at the top of his game as he dished out witty jokes, showed the audience that he was also a good singer, and dished out valuable advice to the winner and contestants.
