Review of The Voice Nigeria - The Season Premier
Reveu of “The Voice Nigeria”
The Nigerian adaptation of the international reality television singing competition franchise has finally hit Nigeria.
The idea of the show is to find aspiring singing talents drawn from public auditions who will be mentored/coached by a panel of judges. Winners are determined by viewers who vote for the best acts to win juicy cash prizes and even a record deal.
The Voice Nigeria #TVN premiered on Africa Magic on the DStv platform on Sunday, the 10th of April and is hosted by Ik Osakioduwa and Stephanie Coker.
The premier episode opened with a performance of Tuface’s Implication by the panel of judges made up of Tuface Idibia (now called 2Baba), Waje, Patoranking and Timi Dakolo.
It was kinda funny when I saw Patoranking as one of the judges. He may be the king of dancehall in Nigeria but he is not known for his voice. I guess he was put in there for some diversity or maybe for comic relief, I am not sure. The other panel of judges seem fit for the part, so I am curious to see what Patoranking is bringing to the table.
The show kicks off with the aspiring singers taking to the stage trying to impress the panelists to pick them to join their coaching school. It is at this point that the judges show their true ‘Nigerianess’. Let me explain. You see, we Nigerians are very dramatic by nature (which is why AFMAG is such a hit station) and we look for every opportunity to ‘show ourselves’. I was thoroughly embarrassed when I saw the panelists struggling and jostling to pick Victoria one of the most talented of the contestants. I admit that the she was a pretty good singer and I think she was a runner up in one other reality TV Show (I need to confirm this) but did Waje have to kneel down and beg her??? Even Patoranking started sulking, the whole thing played out like the quintessential Nollywood presentation- It was just childish.
Other than that show of shame, the show was entertaining. Ik Osakioduwa and Stephanie Coker were great anchors and their presentation was spot on. The set was well done and the production was top notch. Methinks the show will be a huge hit and Airtel (the show’s sponsor) should get some good brand exposure from it.
One last thing - yesterday someone asked me what panel I would choose if I were given the opportunity. That really got me thinking. I believe my best panel combination would be Tuface, Timi, Brymo or Bez & Asa.
So if you were to choose a panel of Judges, who would it be? Comments are welcome below.
Definitely not Tuface. Timi, Asa & MI for diversity. Onyeka Onwuenu too.
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