Mammoth crowd at Nigerian Idol season 7 auditions

By DENNIS EREZI

With the virtual auditions which allowed 60 seconds video entries from contestants opened on Sunday, November 14, and closed on Sunday, November 28, it was a sea of heads as a mammoth crowd made up of young Nigerian up-and-coming music talents and entertainment lovers on Saturday, December 4 besieged Colossus Hotel in Ikeja, Lagos, venue of the physical auditions for the season 7 of Nigerian Idol, Nigeria’s most-anticipated music reality show.

The wannabe celebrities trooped en-masse in their bid to kick-start their journey to stardom. Some of the musical talents who auditioned expressed their optimism to be selected among the top 500 contestants who will emerge from the live audition to the next stages.

Both the virtual and physical auditions were open to participants between the ages of 16 – 30 years and will be aired on DStv and GOtv in February 2022. The show is headlined and sponsored by Bigi, Naija’s favourite range of carbonated soft drinks with 13 variants from the stable of Rite Foods Limited.

Speaking on the massive turnout at the audition for season 7, which was impressive, Brand Manager, Beverage and Bakery, Rite Foods Limited, Boluwatife Adedugbe commended participants for their confidence to embark on the musical journey to stardom with Bigi.

She said, “We are elated to witness a day like this where thousands of talented singers are prepared for a refreshing journey to stardom. The Bigi brand will ensure that whatever flavour that resonates with the contestants’ singing abilities, the brand is always there to give refreshing confidence for their performances as they journey through the singing competition.”

Adedugbe also reaffirmed the company’s commitment to talent promotion, development and the growth of the country’s entertainment industry saying, “With the Bigi brand, we will continue to espouse talent discovery in music through platforms like the Nigerian Idol for young talented singers to find expression and become megastars.”

“We, therefore, call on all young musical talents in Nigeria to audition for season seven of the Nigerian Idol and get a shot at the limelight, while also enjoying the refreshing musical journey with Bigi,” she added.

At the auditioning, the Bigi brand also ensured that the mammoth crowd of contestants had exciting experiences by making all talents have a taste of the refreshing beverage, thereby giving them the opportunity to choose the flavour that resonates with their personality and talent.

As the new season begins with heightened anticipation and excitement as the contestants, fans and music lovers warm up to get down and enjoy the thrilling musical contest, the refreshing journey continues in the next stage of the selection process where the 500 contestants selected from the audition will be judged again and pruned down to 250 contestants.

Only 50 out of the 250 contestants will proceed to ‘Theatre Week’, they will be judged based on their creativity, the strength of their voice and stage performances. Out of the 50 contestants from theatre week, only 10 contestants will proceed to the live performance stage.

Adedugbe reiterated that all through the processes, the Bigi brand will be available to provide all contestants at every stage with the needed refreshment necessary for them to emerge a star in the music journey.

The Nigerian Idol season 7, will come to an exhilarating climax on Sunday, May 22, 2022, with over a N50 million worth of prizes awaiting the winner. For over 10 weeks during season 6 of the music show, the Bigi brand refreshed all participants, top contestants and winner, Kingdom Kroseide to victory. (The Guardian)