The Grandest Finale of All

TV - Reality - The Gist

All photos courtesy of the Star Quest site



Located somewhere in Lagos is an event venue that will go down in history as the one place that has been a cradle for a new bevy of stars. That place is the Ocean View Restaurant.

The Expo Hall of the Ocean View Restaurant was the cradle, 10:05 pm on Saturday, 10th May, 2008 was the Estimated Date of Delivery and the Star Quest Grand Finale was the birth event.

The thrilling star-studded event - anchored by Gbenga Adeyinka The First - kicked off with a mini-documentary called “The Journey so far” chronicling how 36 talented musicians who were chosen out of the multitude that applied for auditions formed 6 great bands and were later whittled down to just 3. For the 3 remaining bands, Expozee, The Diamonds and Da Heritage, this was their night of glory as the finals of Star Quest 2008 were broadcast live on the NTA.

Next on the programme after “The Journey So Far” were stage performances from each of the 3 finalist bands doing two of their originally composed and produced tracks. First up on stage were The Diamonds who got to strut their stuff with two locally-flavoured, energy-filled dance performances. Despite their obviously well-rehearsed pieces and being spurred on by their huge fan base, the performances looked a tad weak compared to their Fameland average. Their choice of Afro-rhythmic dance tunes: “This Life Wey We Dey (Face Reality)” and “Ju’di” (roughly translated to mean dance in the Yoruba language) delivered a relatively weak punch and left beautiful Ajumoke Nweze, best vocalist that she is, conceding most of the vocals and stage presence to pot-bellied band leader, Anthony Iwediunor.

The fine boys and lovely sisi of Da Heritage were next. The purpose of this band as revealed by band leader and lead male vocalist Chukwudi Ubido, in the mini-documentary that preceded their performance was to fuse Western and local influences into their music. As female vocalist Glory Odey was also apt to point out, this group didn’t have the best in the vocal department and their first song, “Why You Go?” a love ballad imploring a runaway heartthrob to return, did bring this vocal flaw to the fore. Adding to their troubles was the clash of musical instruments which drowned the vocals at certain times during the performance. “Why You Go” was a very sentimental track with its slow beginning, touching lyrics and crescendo ending but Da Heritage just didn’t seem to carry the stage well not unlike their Diamonds predecessors.

“Jisi Ike”, their second track which was a sort of clarion call did far better than the love song. The motivational/solidarity anthem with a catchy hook encouraging the struggling peoples to “Jisi Ike” (Hold On) and be strong no matter the hardships they face was very sing-a-long-ish, reminiscent of Styl-Plus’ “Stay Alive”. Da Heritage did their crescendo bit at the end again which seemed to work well for them.

And then it was the turn of Expozee… Trust me, it’s hard to take back all the bad things that have been said previously about this group because tonight of all nights they seemed to finally realize what they came there for. And it wasn’t passive bandleader, 25-year old Emmanuel Aika or the dance seductress, Nnedi Ezirim who held the magic wand either. It was lead guitarist turned male lead vocalist, Seun Adegboye who blew the crowd away!

Taking off straight from the launch pad, all boosters firing, the group led off with “Jaiye”, a song extolling the uniqueness of Life and celebrating living fully in the moment. Seun, in a style which called to mind the likes of King Sunny Ade, led the group in the rendition of this piece which predictably got everyone off their seats and gyrating to the soulful tunes of Highlife. There wasn’t a single soul, African or expatriate, that wasn’t moved by that song! And boy! Did they dance…?

Omale Sunday, probably a little bit conscious of the spell Seun had placed on that crowd then took up the spotlight tearing everything lyrically apart as he took it on down, way down to the Ghetto. And Expozee showed everyone that when it gets down to the streets, they too can play dirty. The track title, “This Gbedu Na We Own” was self-explanatory. Whether it was galala, konto, makossa, whatever, Nnedi laid it down on that dance floor and Seun once again threw the lyrical mud all over the place with his Yoruba rap. It was a no-contest. If Star Quest was to be won solely on that night’s performances, then Expozee were the clear-cut winners: this Gbedu was definitely theirs.


The Music Videos

After the live performances, it was time again for the bands to try and impress second time around but this time in celluloid as their debut music videos were unveiled to the public. The Diamonds cleverly decided to do a switch, this time screening a music video called “Tempted” which showcased Blessed Edewor’s singing abilities. When the video ended, I couldn’t help but wonder why he had been content to stay behind all this while. Da Heritage, on the other hand chose not to change a winning formula as “Jisi Ike” came on once again. Expozee, also following the same pattern, stuck to the “Jaiye” song for their video maybe hoping lightning would strike twice.

In all fairness, all three videos were wonderful in showcasing the cinematic skills of the TV production company, though Heritage’s video was the champion here. The transition of the video from its Black & White intro till the screen burst forth in living colours towards the start of the chorus was visually gratifying.

But all these last minute climatic bursts of brilliance weren’t going to determine who would carry the day. After all it was the votes would count…

And the Winners were…

Their name was The Diamonds and that night was their time to shine. Parading arguably the best female vocalist, talented instrumentalists and a cool-headed band leader, The Diamonds wooed their audiences with their harmonious teamwork and hassle-free performances. While their stage work wasn’t always top-notch and their musical choices weren’t the best, they were guaranteed to deliver anytime unlike their rivals Expozee who sadly left everything till late and Da Heritage who maybe narrowly missed the winning formula.

Maybe in the end it boiled down to taking chances and the winning band continuously showed versatility in every task they had been given. The opportunities the music videos gave to showcase yet another of their songs was their trump card and The Diamonds fully grasped it with arms wide open. Apart from some hue and cry over the initial Eviction, this time a lot of Reality TV viewers went to bed satisfied that the REAL WINNERS had emerged.

And so the party wound to an end, the champagne was popped and The Diamonds got their ticket to stardom as they lofted high their cheque while the other groups felicitated with them and looked on in envy. Another era on the Nigerian musical landscape had come to a close with Diamonds becoming the official winners of Star Quest 2008.

It was a journey that had started weeks ago with a dream, a hope, a struggle, an online entry, a chance for an audition, cracked vocal chords, numb fingers, frustrations and evictions. It was a tough shot for stardom and they all won.

But for now The Diamonds shine with the stars…

The Night the Stars Went Home...

TV - Reality - The Gist

All photos courtesy of the Star Quest site

It was the finest of nights and it was the most horrible of nights. In one fell swoop, 3 of the 6 most talented rising bands in Nigeria had to kiss the silver screen and their millions of faithful viewers goodnight and go home.

In any typical TV Reality show, every Eviction event holds its own unique place but no other reality show does Eviction Night like Star Quest does. Only SQ has kept the distinction of having the best and worst night rolled into one and hours after watching the 3 bands with the least votes go home, the butterflies in many a tummy were yet to settle.

The seriously-dreaded, long-awaited, stomach-churning night eventually had to come around no matter how far away we viewers and they, the contestants wanted to put it off. Nigeria Breweries PLC’s talent show was gradually winding down and Eviction Night, 11:30 pm Thursday 8th May to 12:30 am Friday was the one of the signals heralding the end.

Expulsion night began with a recap of the pre-Eviction acts held the previous night where each band put in their best and sang their hearts out to solicit for hard-earned votes. Six blistering performances later, the contestants decided to do something that had never been done before in all the 4 Seasons of Star Quest; they all jointly composed and presented a Thank You song!

With all the unforgettable events that went on in Fameland, this was undoubtedly the most excellent. For a moment all divisions and band affiliations were forgotten as the 36 contestants threw in their individual and collective best to express their appreciation for being given the shot at celebrity status. The vocalists showcased the wonderful power of their chords as they hit their high notes, the horns led and the guitars followed smoothly like butter and silk; it was just simply beautiful, flaws and all…

But eventually, the instruments were silenced, the 36 Talents went to their rooms and the Deep Voice of Doom began the dreaded announcements. And soon the turntable stopped turning and the party ended for B-Sixz, Spectrum and Next…

The way the axe fell must have surprised many especially as the lack-luster Expozee got to stay at the expense of their better contemporaries like B-Sixz (which every other band said were the best apart from themselves). Also shocking was the elimination of the hardworking, confident, gender-equal Next whose female vocalists always strove to show their lyrical versatility while the only female drummer, Tope “Top Sticks” Odebiyi displayed her percussion prowess for the band.

But then, it was the votes that really, really counted…

And so the die was cast for the 3 other bands that would go on to make history: Expozee, Da Heritage and The Diamonds.

Speaking of STAR QUEST…

TV - Reality - The Gist

Photos courtesy of the STAR QUEST site

Yeah, I know it’s still early days to start casting stones but we can start casting votes, can’t we? Checked out the Saturday April 26th 10:00pm broadcast of Nigeria’s best (absolutely my opinion) Music/Talent Reality show and I must say the six groups did impress with the a capella task they had been given to accomplish that day.

The 36 contestants are still too reserved to start displaying their individual flaws, flairs and despairs but the female vocalists are already proving the audition judges correct in selecting them from the myriads of entrants. Was it just coincidence or did it seemed that whatever they had vocally, they totally lacked in female fashion sense? Also most of the band leaders (they are all male by the way) put on lack-luster appearances when introducing their bands and the title of their songs. Their carriage and personalities came across as relatively dull. Rather disappointing describes it best...

Just in case you haven’t still caught the buzz before now, the six bands are: B-Sixz, Da Heritage, Spectrum, Next, Expozee and Diamonds. Jungle Filmworks, the TV production company, were even so kind as to show us part of the band-naming process but someone should have mildly cautioned Next for choosing a name that lacks originality. The members of Expozee should learn to stick to just one pronunciation of their band name too.

Based on their a capella, all the bands stood out though Expozee’s (whose members had a knack for saying, “My names are…”) piece came across as flat especially after Next’s gripping yet very traditional costume and tune. Ajumoke of The Diamonds also carried the day as the unofficial best female vocalist and boy, did she flaunt it. That voice still has a lot of great places to go with proper nurturing.

Feeling like you’re missing out already? Like I mentioned earlier, it’s still early days so it’s not too late to start sleeping days, keeping awake nights and praying PHCN doesn’t strike. Can’t wait to see the fireworks begin when the individuality clashes, band-member poaching and eviction worries become the staple of the show.

I’ll keep you posted…

PS: My votes for the four best bands already? They are: Next, B-Sixz, Da Heritage and Diamonds (not in that order, though). Let’s see how prophetic I’ll be!