DRAMATIC END TO NIGERIAN IDOL
It was a show filled with intense emotion for the 100 outstanding singers selected from five audition centres spread across the country. Yinka Olatunbosun reports that after three months of passionate showmanship and artistic struggle, there is a new Nige
Till the end of his days, Kunle Ogunrombi, better known as K- Peace, will never forget Saturday, June 13, 2015. It was the day his fortune changed for good; and the lines fell in pleasant places for him. With his emergence as the Nigerian Idol, K- Peace entered a groovy train, laden with goodies including a brand new SUV car, cash prize of N7.5 million and a mouthwatering recording deal with Universal Music Company!
It was not an easy feat squaring up to Modoluwamu Ogunmoyero in the grand finale of the 5th season of the Etisalat- sponsored musical talent hunt show at Dream Studio, Omole Phase 1, Lagos.
If Whitney Houston were to be alive, she would have been forced to rework the lyrics of ‘ Exhale Shoop Shoop’ where she sang, “For every win, someone must fail,’’ because it was a no- failure situation that night as Dolu, a graduate of Marketing from Redeemers University held the second position with the grace of a winner. She won the cash prize of N1.5m, a Galaxy tab, a phone and an ipod. Her high pitches were not enough to match up with K- Peace’s originality and street attitude. She had the voice but not the fire.
One of the greatest fears for K- Peace that night was how he would deliver a blameless performance of Sir Shina Peter ’ s Afro juju hit tracks from the album, Ace without “fujinising’’ it. K- Peace just came on stage with all the glamour of a superstar and gave an effortless shot. By the time he returned, in high spirits, to sing Kiss Daniel’s ‘ Woju’, the entire audience stood up from the beginning till the end of the song in respect for this developing talent.
K- Peace, winner of the Nigerian Idol Season Five, is a bankable music reality show personality. Whilst standing, figuratively, on the winner ’ s podium, he could boast of his brand endorsement deal with Dabur toothpaste, a mouthwatering recording deal, cash prize of N7.5million, galaxy tab, a phone, ipod, and a brand new SUV. Though not listed, he also left the show with a lifetime bragging right for his overwhelming performances that none could beat.
Inside the Dream Studio, the traditional venue for the reality show, we found families and fans of different ethnicities bound by music. Forget football, the grand finale of music reality shows always pull crowd,