Refining Talents   

Biola Alabi, Managing Director, M-Net Africa is committed to the discovery of genuine music  talents through Naija Sings

• Biola Alabi.

Though the identities of those 10 contestants who would be selected remain hazy,  preparations are in top gear for the semi-final of this year’s Naija Sings, the first  indigenous music reality show being organised by M-Net Africa. Scheduled to hold on 13  September at Phillips House, Ojota  in Lagos, the semi-final is expected to produce 10  finalists among all the contestants that have been selected from auditions in seven Nigerian  cities: Lagos, Abuja, Enugu, Calabar, Jos, Bauchi and Kaduna.

The 10 finalists would go on to compete in the final in which the winner would cart away  $100,000 and a recording contract. An interesting aspect of the final is that the winner  will be chosen, not by judges but by DSTV viewers across the country. The maiden edition of  Naija Sings took place last year and was won by 18-year-old John Ogar, who is currently a  pre-medical student in the United States and is working on an album with Tuface Idibia.

According to Mrs. Biola Alabi,  Managing Director of M-Net Africa, the reality show is  designed to refine raw musical acts and showcase Nigeria’s best musical talents to the  world. “What we are trying to do is providing an environment where those raw talents can be  developed. Some people might have a great voice but have never actually had an interaction  with the music director. So they don’t know also what voice is great for their voice and how  to enhance the quality of their talents. We make sure they have a music director as well as  a voice coach,” she told TheNEWS.

Still, Alabi believes that what makes the reality show very attractive is not just because  it is an avenue for producing local content but because it cuts across the different genres  of music, be it hip-hop, pop, R&B, fuji, Afro juju, reggae etc. “What we wanted to do was  explore something that is uniquely Nigerian and that is how the idea of Naija Sings came  up,” she said.

Asked what are the chances of any of the 10 contestants who may be good in a particular  genre of clinching the prize, Alabi hinged it on the audience. “I think the chances of that  person is once again back in the hands of the audience. If the audience feel that that is  the person they want to win, they will vote for him.

“The beautiful thing about that is that I don’t sit in this room and  make that decision. It  is people that sit at home, people who are going to be buying records, that are going to  concerts that will make the decisions,” she explained. But what is the possibility that the  audience will make an informed choice?Alabi believes they will. “I think we have a very  sophisticated audience. I think that people who watch DStv today anywhere, no matter their  economic class, are very sophisticated and are in tune with content and very discriminating  as well. Therefore, I don’t think they will make their decision based on one performance or  just one genre of music. I think they would understand the versatility of that person,”  Alabi averred.

Though Naija Sings is an M-Net Africa initiative, the organisers are also interested in  partnering other corporate bodies. “We are looking to hopefully bring some sponsors on board  that will help us with the project. Ideally, what would happen is that our bringing on a  sponsor could even enhance the packaging and, hopefully, even do more,” Alabi said. M-Net  Africa is a pan-Africa broadcasting organisation which is not only focused on telling  African stories, but whose services are viewed in 47 African countries. It has over the  years been involved in developing local content and raw talents in many countries. Some of  the projects it has undertaken include, Stand Up Uganda, Stand Up Zambia, and Changes, a  drama series in Kenya. Currently its television programmes such as Africa Magic, Yoruba  Magic and Hausa Magic are viewed across the continent. “What we are trying to do is look  across the continent where possible, produce local content but which has Africa-wide appeal.  We believe that Africans do share common features, they do share common stories, they do  share common experiences. So a lot of times, a lot of these programmes are not just for the  audience, they are for the whole of Africa. And most of the times, Africans can relate to  that. And that is our goal,” Alabi enthused

—Nehru Odeh

Tags:  M-Net Africa, Naija Sings, Phillips House