…as Akunna bows out
Last night’s show was as special as it was emotional for fans and viewers of the Nigerian Idol Season 6 show.
The show kicked off with a lively performance of Bruno Mars’ “24K Magic” by the top 8 contestants – Beyonce, Comfort, Clinton, Daniel, Dotun, Emmanuel, Faith Jason and Faith Mac – who were eliminated at different stages in the competition. All eight of them displayed great chemistry as they performed to the delight of viewers and the judges who gave them a standing ovation.
And then it was time for the business of the day. The viewing public clearly put in the work this past week with over 11 million votes recorded. The first person confirmed as part of the Top Two was Kingdom, who struggled to contain his emotions. The fans had also chosen to save Francis Atela, who heaved a huge sigh of relief. It was, sadly, the end of the road for Akunna, the 23-year-old entertainment lawyer who was the last girl standing in the competition.
Akunna was described by the veteran music producer Cobhams Asuquo as “a powerful singer”. Kingdom praised her work rate and performance ability, while DJ Sose noted that she had awesome stage presence. For her farewell performance, she covered Adele’s hit single “Set Fire To The Rain”, with vocal assistance from the live band.
The top two contestants were each mandated to perform three songs. Kingdom’s first performance of the night was a soulful cover of A Great Big World’s “Say Something”. Seyi Shay described it as “perfect”, and Obi Asika lauded the confidence on display.
Francis Atela, whose voice was described by Obi Asika as a “lethal weapon”, opted for John Legend’s “So High” as his first song for the night. DJ Sose described it as “emotive”.
For the second round of performances, Kingdom went with “The Lion Sleeps Tonight”, which he described as the song which he enjoyed covering the most during the course of the season. Obi Asika appeared overly delighted, and DJ Sose seemed pretty pleased with what he heard.
Francis Atela was more than happy to hand in another performance of Bryan Adams’ classic “Please Forgive Me.” DJ Sose noted that he didn’t walk the stage enough, but Obi Asika commented on how he “owned the song”.
Kingdom’s final performance of the night was a cover of Bruno Mars’ 2010 hit “Just The Way You Are.” Seyi Shay found it difficult to contain her excitement, and Obi Asika acknowledged the growth in his performance and stage presence.
Francis Atela closed out proceedings with a high-pitched rendition of Marvin Gaye’s “Sexual Healing”. Obi Asika commended him for his unique spin on the classic, and DJ Sose found no fault with the performance.
It’s the final voting week, and the power to determine who emerges the winner of this competition is solely in the hands of the viewers. Voting on Nigerian Idol is via the website, mobile site, MyDStv, and MyGOtv apps and via SMS on participating networks – Airtel, MTN, and 9mobile. Voting ends on Thursday, July 8, 2021.
You can vote via the Africa Magic website, www.africamagic.tv/nigerianidol, and the Africa Magic mobile site by selecting contestants of your choice and entering your number of votes and clicking VOTE. Voting via these platforms is limited to 100 votes per user. MyDStv App and MyGOtv App votes are free, and votes are allocated based on your subscription packages.
Nigerian Idol Season 6 is sponsored by Bigi Drinks and Tecno Mobile.
For more information, visit www.africamagic.tv/nigerianidol. You can also follow the official Nigerian Idol social media pages for news and updates with the hashtag #NigerianIdol on Instagram @nigerianidol and Facebook www.facebook.com/nigidol