With guidance and criticism from the judges, the contestants will be schooled in the art and business of Afrobeats music for the next three months.
Naija Star Search music reality show kicked off on Sunday, with contestants drawing emotions from the audience as they performed Nigerian classics.
Even the judges were not left out as they enjoyed the nostalgia their performances evoked.
Naija Star Search, dubbed an exclusive Afrobeats show, is the first of its kind in the country. With guidance and criticism from the judges, the contestants will be schooled in the art and business of Afrobeats music for the next three months.
Seventeen contestants from across the country with diverse backgrounds and orientations will be groomed and slug it out to produce the next Afrobeats star.
Grouped under Team Kenny, Team ID Cabasa and Team Asha, each team mesmerised viewers with sweet serenades as they took the audience back in memory lane. They didn't not only sing hit Naija songs but also remixed them with a touch of street credibility and originality.
Team Kennis performed Baby I Got It by Capital FEMI featuring Eedris Abdulkareem. Team Asha Gangali performed You is the One by Azadus, and At the same time, Team ID Cabasa performed live in Yankee by Eedris Abdulkareem. The band also plays a vital role in interpreting the contestants' performances.
"That's just a warm-up to the show," lead judge, Kenny Ogungbe said as the stage promises to be hotter this Sunday at 8 p.m. on ST Nollywood channels and StarTimes-ON app.
Naija Star Search is a partnership between Kennis Music and StarTimes.
Naija Star Search airs every Sunday at 8 p.m. on ST Nollywood Plus, ST Nollywood and ST Yoruba channels on StarTimes, and on StarTimes-ON mobile app.
Seventeen contestants, made up of young and promising music talents, were unveiled by the judges last Sunday.
They will perform only Naija songs, starting with the classics and contemporaries to warm their vibes (ginger their swagger) and then sing original songs.
The contestants are grouped under the judges for mentorship in the group phase.
It is expected that the show's judges, Kenny 'Keke' Ogungbe, ID Cabasa and Asha Gangali, will use their wealth of experience to bring out the stars in these young gems.
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Format
The contestants under Team Asha include Sparrow, TOMs, MB Dre, Specko and Kachi; For Team Cabasa, there are Jaydbody, Greysky, Denerio, Esjay, Thekhaleed and Skimzo; while Team Keke has eMzez, Eniolá, Black Bella, SKIFFY, Melo and Jazzman.
They will compete to earn a place among the final seven to be groomed by the Kennis Music label and given a platform to turn their raw talents into superstars, in addition to the N10 million prize.
Aside from the electrifying performances by the contestants, the show is full of drama, intense competition and passion as the twists of the game cause mixed emotions.
Naija Star Search is a reality show aimed at discovering the next generation of Afrobeats superstars.
Comparing Naija Star Search to the future of Afrobeats, Kenny Ogungbe said, "Afrobeats will never die. The people sustaining it now are in their mid-twenties and thirties. To sustain it, we need to groom new talents, so we will still have those holding in the next ten years. We are here for the future to project the beauty of Naija music."
