Tag: Nigerian Idol

As the newly crowned Nigerian Idol, Purp, walked home on Sunday with a rewarding package that included a brand new SUV, N30m cash prize, DStv Explora with a one year premium subscription and a chance to become Nigeria’s next big music star with a music deal, she is not resting on her oars. On Monday, she shared her experiences at the 10-week music talent show with some journalists in Lagos. With her at the briefing, was her runner-up Raymu. Venue was the Corporate Headquarters of Rite Foods Limited, Ikeja Lagos, one of the leading sponsors of the musical contest. Assistant Editor (Arts) OZOLUA UHAKHEME was there.

“This moment feels surreal. I’m so grateful to everyone who voted, supported, and believed in me. This is just the beginning, and I can’t wait to share more music with the world.”  With that emotional reaction from Purp shortly after emerging the Nigerian Idol Season 10 winner, last Sunday, it was evident that Nigerian fans and voters in particular, might have made the right choice at the end of the show. Nigerian Idol, a hit music talent show started on April 20, with the theme, “Your Voice, Your Victory featuring 10 contestants.

Purp, a Theater Art graduate of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, did not go into the musical contest as a singer, but as a total artiste who is an embodiment of every aspect of performing art-music, singing and drama. According to her, she had few areas she fine-tuned while the show lasted, especially the use of new tech on stage and the realisation that beyond the physical stage, there were audiences at home and online.

The young singer, who showered accolades on the Bigi Carbonated Soft Drink brand of Rite Foods Limited, applauded the company and Bigi for powering a credible platform that has brought her to fame.            

She commended Bigi for promoting musical talent among young Nigerians who are determined to become stars in the entertainment industry, with the sponsorship of Nigerian Idol for five consecutive years, from Seasons 6 to 10.

The 25-year-old, Lagos-born Anu Agosa (Purp), who was raised by a choir-leading mother and nurtured in the rich harmonies of church music, stated that her love for sound took root early, blossoming fully in the world of theatre.

She disclosed that prior to the show she was a shy and naïve girl, who was not too sure of what she wanted in the entertainment industry. She described the Nigerian Idols and the sponsors as huge partnership and platform for creative to actualise their dreams and grow in the industry. 

“I literarily started off as a naive, shy girl, who didn’t know what she wanted to do, who didnt know how to discover who she is, what she wanted to do and what she wanted to inspire in the world. For me, the platform is just a journey of rediscovering who I am going to be and who I am going to inspire in the world. Again, it is about how I am going to channel my talents and artistry,” she said. 

Purp noted that the caliber of audience that cheered her up all through the contest could relate with her story. “The kind of people that watched me on the show resonates with my story as a person, it wasn’t just about my singing it was about my story. And without the platform, I wouldn’t have been able to do it. That, for me, was amazing,” she added.

Read Also: Meet Nigerian Idols’ top 11 contestants

Continuing, she recalled: “I had experiences and people reached out to me, saying, you inspired me, just beyond your singing, your person, your gift, and your career, and everything that you’re doing. All this carries a level of grace that I can relate to. And for me, that was the most important thing, and I’m so grateful that I have the platform to reach out to students, to talk to people beyond just notes and skills.”

Purp, who captivated millions of viewers across Nigeria and beyond with her vocal brilliance, emotive performances, and unrelenting drive, stated that with willpower, she would pursue her musical career to become a renowned megastar in the entertainment industry.

“I am excited to be the winner of the Idol show and the exposure from it has enhanced my art of singing and performance. Emerging as the winner came as a surprise, though I have always put in my best to outwit others, and l laud Bigi for the opportunity offered to me to have come to this extent,” Purp averred.

While encouraging the winner to be well committed to her musical cause, Rite Foods’ Managing Director, Seleem Adegunwa, asserted that the company identifies with worthy initiatives that resonate with its core values of excellence and innovation which helps in making dreams of its consumers come to fruition, like the Nigerian Idol show that exposes young singers to limelight.

He admonished Purp to sustain the tempo which she showcased throughout the show, that has brought her that far to winning the Season 10 Idol prize, which comprises a brand-new SUV, N30m cash prize, a DStv Explora with a one-year premium subscription and a chance to become Nigeria’s next big music star with a music deal.

Adegunwa stated that as a company that reinvigorates its consumers to attain stardom, as it did with the Nigerian Idol show, Rite Foods is poised to support Nigerians to achieve success in their undertakings, and would extend the same to Purp as she traverses the course of her musical career. “As a consumer-centric brand, Bigi will always continue to empower youth by creating platforms that celebrate originality, talent, and determination,” he affirmed.

Unlike Purp, the runner up Raymu, a Delta-born sensational singer known for his stage craft, is a graduate of Engineering, but has a strong flair and passion for the art though not used to lots of things in the entertainment space. He is also an introvert who takes charge of his artistry as a performer and singer while managing the various dynamics that come with stage craft, singing and understanding camera movement. To him, emerging as a professional artiste has been an amazing transition from where he was to where he is now.

He observed that talent is the cheapest commodity in the entertainment industry because talent is everywhere you look or you turn to. But, she noted that not everybody wants to put in the hard work, or has the character to transit from being a talented person to becoming a superstar because it takes a lot of hard work, a lot of discipline and determination to get there.

“I see a lot of talented people and I respect everybody’s talent. Anybody amongst the top 10 could have won the show because we are all individually and equally talented in our different ways. But, there’s also a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes for the show and for me, some of them were in unfamiliar grounds. Like on the show, it was the first time I was dancing and singing. I almost passed out at some point. That was very challenging for me, but I was able to eventually get over it and understand the dynamics that goes with that.

“So that’s a lesson for me to take out of the show. I also realised that being in an entertainment space you have to be mentally strong,” he said. 

Reacting to what prepared him for the contest, he said: “Just like every educated person we study, do research, and learn about things. So, I did read about things and look for information and study about how things are supposed to go. I came into the show with some level of information on what the show is all about.

Raymu described Nigerian Idol not as a destination, but the beginning of a journey, noting that whether any artiste wins or not, he should be grateful for the platform.  “For me, it’s a blessing, it’s a privilege to be on the platform as there’s so much work that goes on behind the scenes because everybody is working around you. These people don’t get to be seen, you get to be seen so you have to pay homage to them and respect their hard work by making something out of what you’ve been given.”

Raymu however urged organisers of the contest to consider giving consolation prizes to top 10 in order to encourage young artistes. He stressed that not every artiste can handle the winner takes all situation emotionally.