N10m up for grabs as Naija Star Search begins Sept. 4

The maiden edition of Nigeria’s first Afrobeats reality show, Naija Star Search, will kick off on September 4 on StarTimes’ ST Nollywood channels.

The show, which aims at sustaining the Afrobeats culture and nurturing young talent, is an initiative of StarTimes in association with Kennis Music.

According to the organisers, the judges led by music label executive, Kenny ‘Keke’ Ogungbe; music producer, ID Cabasa as wel as singer, Asha Gangali have selected 18 contestants, and would look for authenticity, potential, originality and street credibility among the talents.

Aside contestants battling for N10 million prize, the top seven finalists from the show would be groomed by the Kennis Music label and given a platform to turn their raw talents into superstars.

Speaking at the unveiling, StarTimes’ Chief Operations Officer, Tunde Aina said, “Naija Star Search is fashioned to be an exclusive Afrobeats show, the first of its kind in the country. Contestants will perform only Naija songs, starting with the classics and contemporaries to warm their vibes (ginger their swagger), and then sing original songs composed by themselves.

“With guidance and criticism from the judges, these talents will be schooled in the art and business of Afrobeats music for the next three months. Ultimately, the goal is to discover the next promising talents with the potential to blow.

Top performing talents will work with Kennis Music, who will groom, mentor, produce and market their songs to a music-loving audience in Nigeria and Africa.”

Comparing Naija Star Search to the future of Afrobeats, 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 10 years, we will still have those holding it. We are here for the future to project the beauty of Naija music.”

On his part, ID Cabasa stated, “We saw a lot of young talents during the audition process, which blew our minds. Naija Star Search has become a pivot for any ambitious artiste for the limelight. Currently, it is very hard to break through in the music industry.”