Faith Mac
and Dotun have been eliminated from the Top 11 stage of the Nigerian Idol
competition after scoring the least votes in the first round of public voting.
During the
live show on Sunday, May 16, show’s host IK Osakioduwa, reeled out the names of
the contestants who made it through to the Top 9 stage of the competition, with
each lucky contestant having the chance once again to prove their mettle with
their song selection.
This week’s
performances had the surviving contestants perform covers of songs composed by
their music idols, while the judges – Seyi Shay, DJ Sose, and Obi Asika –
watched in the capacity of audience members as the power to save and eliminate
contestants had since left their hands.
Kingdom,
who revealed that he idolised ‘Teni The Entertainer’, handed in a
percussion-backed rendition of the hit song “Uyo Meyo”, which was well-received
by the audience. DJ Sose remarked that he seemed very comfortable with the song
and Seyi Shay noted that the performance was emotive.
Daniel went
with a rendition of James Arthur’s “Empty Spaces”, which Seyi Shay criticized
for lacking verve. Obi Asika was also critical of the song arrangement, but DJ
Sose was of the opinion that he did a good job. Faith Jason, dressed in an
all-red attire, performed a cover of Jon Bellion’s “All Time Low”, the same
song that he had performed at the auditions, and the judges loved it even more
this time around; Seyi Shay couldn’t contain her excitement.
Beyonce,
who disclosed her admiration for the K-Pop band BTS, elected to perform a cover
of the track “Dynamite”, with assistance from the live band. DJ Sose commended
her for showing her playful side, and Obi Asika noted her growth through the
stages of the competition.
Emmanuel,
who had clearly become a fan favourite, rendered a soulful cover of Labrinth’s
“Beneath Your Beautiful”, which was lauded by Obi Asika for the palpable
emotion. Seyi Shay described it as “captivating”, and DJ Sose remarked that he
would fare better as a live performer, in comparison to a studio recording.
The sixth
contestant to be saved by the viewers was Akunna, the entertainment lawyer.
Dressed in a glowing red gown, she took on the difficult task of covering
Beyonce’s “XO”, but her strong voice carried the performance. The judges lauded
her vocal range, as well as her stage presence.
The voters
also appeared to show kindness to Clinton, who put his vocals to the test with
John Legend’s “Tonight”, with some help from the live band. Seyi Shay felt that
the delivery was not “natural”, but praised him for his vocals. On his part, DJ
Sose felt that he “owned” the song.
There was a
fleeting moment where IK Osakioduwa goaded the judges to disclose which of the
remaining contestants would be saved, if it was up to them. Both Obi Asika and
DJ Sose went with Francis and Comfort, but Seyi Shay decided to plead the
fifth.
Also
getting saved by the voting public was Francis, who chose to perform Sam
Smith’s “Writing On The Wall”, the theme song for the James Bond film Spectre.
It’s always difficult to match the energy of a Sam Smith song, but Francis
pulled it off brilliantly, much to the applause of the judges: Obi Asika
described his voice as a “lethal weapon.”
The ninth
and final contestant to earn nods from the viewers on the night was Comfort,
who found it difficult to control her emotions on learning that she had made it
to the next stage. This meant that for Dotun and Faith Mac, their respective
journeys at Nigerian Idol Season 6 had come to an end.
For her
performance, Comfort went with a cover of Adekunle Gold’s “Ire.” The first few
seconds were fraught with nerves, but she recovered quickly to deliver a strong
performance, which Seyi Shay praised for the confidence displayed.
At this
stage of Nigerian Idol Season 6, power is solely in the hands of the viewers,
as they get to determine who stays and who leaves. You can vote for your
favourite contestant via the Africa Magic website and mobile site by selecting
contestants of your choice and entering your number of votes and click VOTE.
Voting via these platforms are limited to 100 votes per user. You can vote via
the MyDStv App and MyGOtv Apps.
Votes are
free and are allocated based on your subscription packages. You can also send an
SMS of your favourite contestants’ number to 32053, which costs N30 per SMS.
Votes via SMS are limited to 100 votes per user and participating networks are
Airtel & 9mobile. The voting window closes at 9pm on Wednesday, May 19,
2021.