Lagos — Last Saturday witnessed the making of history as The Pulse, the music band made up of six talented youngsters: Dubem Ochokwu (band leader), Obianuju Udeh, Babatunde Omommeji, Moses Philips, Charles Nkamiang and Asuquo Okon, became the 2009 winners of Star Quest, the music talent hunt programme sponsored by Star lager. The group which was favoured by the guests at the live recording of the talent hunt's finale, held at Planet One, Event Place, succeeded Diamonds, winners of the 2008 edition and was immediately inundated with prizes such as N3.6m cash, N7.5m recording contract, a mini van, one year guaranteed accommodation in Lagos as well as appearances as performing artistes at all Star lager sponsored events in 2009.

The event which went live on major television stations began at about 7p.m. with the invited guests milling around in the spirit of the brand including Rub A Dub Master, Ras Kimono, Weird MC, Abass Akande Obesere, KC Presh, Bob Manuel Udokwu, DJ Zeez and Wunmi Obe. Excited buzz permeated the hall as the in-house television crew interviewed guests to find out their knowledge of the bands in the house. This session created worthwhile fun for those seated, as several guests who claimed to have been following the show carefully seemed at a loss when asked the names of the three remaining bands who were competing for the star prize.

Another source of mirth for the seated guests was the efforts that the stars at the event that had been placed before the camera went through when asked to pronounce the star payoff line. The myriad of talents in the house was evident during this exercise as musicians created their particular rhythm in doing this. DJ Zeez did a creative acapella that got the guests who were watching within the hall to give him a rousing applause in recognition of his style.

The event properly took off when ace compere, Gbenga Adeyinka I, CFR, took the microphone and announced naija are you ready? The bands were then invited to the stage to do their original song. Interestingly, indications showed that The Pulse would claim the day seemed to permeate the hall because every time their name was mentioned the guests seemed to grow wild with excitement. Nu sound dedicated their first number the persona of the Mother utilising various ethnic dialects. Using vernacular the band, Xpression, did a number, celebrating love. Electricity seemed to fill the hall as The Pulse was announced. The band members did not disappoint their teeming fans as they displayed incredible talent using the Yoruba language.

For their international number Xpression did Lionel Richie's All Night Long but it seemed almost unfair on Nu Sound when The Pulse were announced next to the stage. They went reggae with Marley's Redemption Song and then stunned the audience with a rap by the band's female member that drove the audience wild before segueing back to the Marley hit song. Their act seemed hard to follow, as it was evident in the fact that Nu Sound who did a fair rendition of Ericque Inglesias Maria got a lacklustre response.

After these magnificent performances the videos of the various bands were shown and then the 2008 winners of the show, The Diamonds, did a medley of their hit songs to the entertainment of the guests.

The wining group grossed over 90,000 viewers' votes for the first time in the five year history of Star Quest, to win the competition beating Xpression 15,000 votes while Nu Sound had over 10,000 to place third. This feat makes The Pulse the most popular Star Quest Band so far. The winning group's outstanding performance was seen as the raising of the bar for the music talent hunt programme by taking it to the next level. Joy flooded the faces of the six youngsters whose claim to fame was being given form by star lager as they triumphed above the 36 youngsters who had been selected from the thousands of budding talents who auditioned across the six regions of the nation for a chance to show the nation their skills.

The experience derived from the three weeks in the house as viewers settled down to watch the real competition was evident in the finesse with which each group handled itself. According to rugged man, the in-house host of this year's show, the various trainings provided by the organisers of the show in honing the talents of these youths was showcased in their performances that night.

The group will have its first taste of stardom with a performance at the maiden edition of this year's edition of Star Trek, which begins in Ijebu Ode and Ogbomosho this weekend. They are expected to entertain their fans across the country alongside such established artistes like D'Banj, Obesere, P-Square, Timaya, Faze, Sound Sultan, Weird MC, 9ice, KC Presh, 2shots, Eldee, Lord of Ajasa, Ruggedman and Tony One Week amongst several others.

Launched in 2002 with the objective of producing the biggest music band in Nigeria, Star Quest is designed to compliment and support Star's musical platform and enable the brand to reach and connect to its consumers all across Nigeria. It is a music talent hunt where contestants from all over the country are given the opportunity to become the next stars in the Nigerian music scene and win a coveted recording contract, a mini van and cash prizes, amongst others. The success and excitement of Star Quest has resulted to the emergence of both internationally recognised and up coming musical talents; KC Presh, D'Accord, D'Jewels, and Diamonds. These groups have flourishing music careers that include performances in Star Trek and Star Mega Jam, both Nigeria's foremost music concerts sponsored by Star. This year, the quest was still for a band and the plan was to create the hottest musical band in Nigeria with the participation of the general public. The winning band was decided by viewers' votes.