Authors:
Precious ‘Mamazeus’ Nwogu
A new season of the famed music talent show kicked off in March.
Hosted by IK Osakioduwa, the auditions have seen several batches of contestants vie for a shot at a music career with judges Seyi Shay, DJ Sose and Obi Asika determining their fate.
Ahead of this week’s Sunday live show, here are 10 OMG moments that’s rocked the season so far.
1. Seyi Shay vs Mayowa
Minutes into his performance, a visible amused Seyi Shay ended the show saying, “I’m laughing at them (judges) and I’m laughing because I can’t believe what I just heard. That didn’t sound good.”
She continued saying “I love you. You’re so sweet but you’re not a singer. But there’s songwriting; hit me up, we’ll talk. But that singing thing is not going to work.”
2. Janet’s fascinating remix of Celine Dion’s ‘My Heart Will Go On’
Janet’s worship tune remix of the classic ‘My Heart Will Go On’ may have gotten a kind remark from Judge Seyi Shay but it certainly left viewers in stitches. “I like the fact that you changed the lyrics to your own lyrics and it’s a nice worship song that’s pretty but actual performance skills? I’m not sure,” Seyi said.
3. The moment DJ Sose walked out on a contestant
Chigozie’s rendition of Jessie J’s ‘Flashlight’ ruffled DJ Sose’s cool and collected feathers enough for him to end the performance in the first verse.
But things took an interesting turn when Chigozie insisted on doing another song, after some back and forth with Seyi Shay. After Seyi Shay agreed to allow Chigozie perform another song, DJ Sose got up to leave, saying ‘it’s either him or me’.
4. Beyonce thrills the judges
It’s not every day we encounter someone named Beyonce, and 16-year old Beyonce Ajomiwe had the judges curious as she strolled into the audition room. She however had them completely won over with her rendition of Olivia Newton-John‘s ‘Hopelessly Devoted to You’ from the hit musical, Grease with DJ Sose remarking “You’re a natural”.
5. The moment all three judges walked out on a contestant
Onyinyechi Okereafor will probably go down in Nigeria Idol history as the first contestant to have all three judges walk out of an audition room. Things started out pleasantly enough as the judges complimented her looks. However, things took a teary turn after the judges informed her that she won’t be moving to the next stage. “The truth is you don’t really have a strong voice,” Seyi Shay remarked before giving her ‘No’ verdict.
The contestant was not having any of it, pleading with the judges. She asked for another chance, revealing that she quit her job to be at the audition. Her insistence didn’t sit well with the judges, who eventually walked off, starting with Seyi Shay saying, “This is breaking my heart; I’m sorry, I can’t do this.” Soon enough she was followed by DJ Sose and finally Obi Asika.
6. The phone call
Chris Daniel left the judges shocked when he whipped out his phone to take a call before his performance. On the call, he asked for the phone to be handed over to ‘Mama’ then proceeded to sing “mama” on the other end of the line, much to the amusement of the judges. In the end, it was a no from all three judges, with DJ Sose saying, “Thank you very much. We’re not looking for comedians; we’re looking for singers.”
7. Seyi Shay’s standing ovation
Right from the start of the show, it was clear that Seyi Shay was the judge to please as she took no prisoners. So it was with great surprise viewers watched as she gave a standing ovation to Joshua Christian, who did a cover of DJ Neptune’s hit single Nobody, accompanied by a guitar. “That’s the first time I’ve ever stood up,” she remarked as she applauded.
8. DJ Sose’s under the table moment
Ivan Elelelewor might have been looking to impress the judges with his rendition of Aerosmith’s I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing but left audiences amused instead as DJ Sose went under the table midway through his auditioning. When he eventually emerged from under the table, he swiftly cut Ivan off, saying, “I’m sorry: I don’t think Nigerian Idol is where you’re going.”
9. Seyi Shay’s star-struck fan moment
It appears Damilola Okeduai was preoccupied with her star-struck moment for Seyi Shay. However, her love for the award-winning singer didn’t get her anywhere as her rendition of Who’s Loving You by Jackson 5 fell short with the judges. Damilola, who thought DJ Sose’s initial “interesting” comment on her singing was a positive remark, was in for a rude shock as Seyi Shay described her singing as “flat.”
10. Richard Omobolaji shares a vocal warmup technique
Richard Omobolaji, aka Emmanuelai, had judges bemused when he shared a vocal warming technique he claims to have developed.
When quizzed by Seyi Shay on this technique, he shared that it helps with the tightness of the throat. His technique however didn’t land him a Golden Ticket, as his rendition of Bob Marley’s ‘Redemption Song’ was a miss with the judges.
