The 35 contestants who scaled through last week’s Duet Stage went through to the final stage of the Theatre Week this Sunday and had to fight with every chord in their voices to make it to the exclusive Top 10 list.
As the Judges stated at the show's beginning, it was a tight list that only the best of the best could make. Unfortunately, contestants like Collins had to go home because their Theatre Week Solo Performances turned out to not be ‘good’ enough to earn them a spot in the Top 10.
With the pressure mounting, Gerald’s performance of Mario’s ‘Let Me Love You’ was a significant relief, and impressed the Judges enough to get their approval for the Live Show. His duet partner, Abigail, raised the bar and made it through to the next round as well.
The positive streak continued with Banty, David Operah, Progress, Faith Jordan, and Itohan. Each one of them blew the Judges away with their performances and vocals to earn each of them a spot on the Live Show. Some contestants, like Debby and Zadok, got their ‘Yeses’ alongside comments such as “superstar”, “made for the stage”, and warm congratulations all around from Simi, D’banj Obi Asika, and IK Osakioduwa.
Sadly, we cannot say the same for some other contestants. The Nigerian Idol Season 7 journey ended for CCJ, David, Hesed, and Chisom due to their not-so-great performances. Country singer Ochiora and his duet partner also did not make the list. Still, it was more disappointing for Chukwuka, who came to the end of his second Nigerian Idol journey – at the same stage as he did last year.
Thankfully, Debby broke the negative streak again with a powerful rendition of Miley Cyrus’ ‘Midnight Sky’, which earned her the final spot on the list and left two more contestants in the waiting room.
It was a tense moment for Joel and Precious when Debby came out with the tenth yes. It almost felt they might as well pack their bags without seeing the Judges, but IK encouraged them. They went in for their final verdict, which was the dramatic twist to the show.
The ten finalists became twelve, with Joel and Precious expanding the list. According to the Judges, their vocals and performances were convincing enough to make the exception.
It’s celebration time for the exhausted but excited Top 12 Finalists; Abigail, David Operah, Banty, Zadok, Faith, Itohan, Gerald, Progress, Jordan, Debby, Joel, and Precious.
Here are the victors
The Live Shows of the seventh season of Nigerian Idol kick off on Sunday, 20 March at 7pm on Africa Magic Showcase (DStv channel 151), Africa Magic Urban (DStv channel 153 and GOtv Supa channel 6) and Africa Magic Family (DStv channel 154 & GOtv channel 2) and will be open to public VOTE.
Nigerian Idol season 7 is proudly sponsored by Bigi Drinks and Binance Africa. Keep it locked on our social media platforms Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for the latest details. Watch Nigerian Idol on Africa Magic Showcase (DStv channel 151), Urban (DStv channel 153 & GOtv Supa channel 6), and Family (DStv channel 154 & GOtv channel 2) every Sunday from 7pm. The incredible journey continues daily on the Nigerian Idol Extra channel on DStv 197 and GOtv 29. You can also catch up on all the episodes on the DStv App and watch the latest behind the scenes on Showmax across Africa as well as in the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand.
DStv Premium customers can enjoy access to Showmax at no extra cost as part of their DStv subscription. DStv Compact Plus and Compact can access Showmax for only half the price.
For more information, visit www.africamagic.tv/nigerianidol and follow the official Nigerian Idol handle on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for more updates.
Nigerian Season Seven is sponsored by Bigi and Binance.