The search for the next Afrobeats superstar has entered a new phase on as the group stage of Naija Star Search kicked off, with celebrity OAP, VJ Adams, as the show host.
Naija Star Search airs every Sunday at 8 pm 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 singing original songs composed by themselves.
In the group phase, the contestants are grouped under the judges for mentoring. 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.
The contestants under Team Asha include Sparrowh, 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 in their teens so that in the next ten years, we will still have those holding it. We are here for the future to project the beauty of Naija music.”
The host, Adams Ibrahim Adebola, popularly known as VJ Adams, is a celebrated video jockey, television presenter and executive producer. Formerly an OAP with Sound City, VJ Adams is widely sought-after across Africa to anchor trendy shows.