REVIEW OF TALENT SHOWS BY DENZEL OCHUKO DANIEL.

Talent shows are mostly a give back to the society initiative designed to discover, empower and manage already made or fresh talents who should be relevant or renowned in a short time after management and promotion work has been put in.

In this review I will be using NIGERIA as a case study for the analysis and review of talent shows existing which has produced so many winners from its several seasons ranging from GLO NAIJA SINGS, NIGERIAN IDOLS, MTN PROJECT FAME, GLO X FACTOR, PEAK TALENT SHOW,NOKIA DONT BREAK THE BEAT, and many more which has had at least minimum of three seasons .

Popular question in the minds of music followers

If talent shows are made to discover talents, promote and manage talents why is it that we haven’t seen relevant superstars from all the above show except MTN project fame?

The answer:

Most of these talent shows are geared knowingly or unknowingly towards discovering people who can perform in live bands or people who can do a professional cover of already existing songs. MTN project fame is one of the talent shows lucky enough to have discovered superstars like IYANYA,CHIDINMA ,and PRAIZ because these acts did not only know how to sing covers but they have been ready and waiting for opportunity to kick off their own musical career and sell their own records.

In all the talent shows, finalists  from regional auditions are housed for a period and are mentored or tutored to perfectly deliver already existing songs and finally struggle to perform a self-written song which most times comes out  good but unappealing to the public mostly when the show is about coming to its end because auditions were not based on what they can deliver musically, but focused on how sweet they sound singing covers and that is not good enough in my own opinion as much as the theme discovering managing and promoting a musician is concerned.

In Nigeria today the most celebrated superstars did not emerge from talent shows, yet their songs are being performed by contestants in talent shows and this leads us to what makes  a true  music super star.

A music super star starts from learning the craft of the genre he has chosen to follow, and this is not limited to voice training, diction polishing, song writing, act of freestyling, stage craft ,instrumentation etc, which are the qualities of our popular Nigerian, African and world superstars.

It is a reasonable to say that when a musician goes through these processes consciously or unconsciously, it is inevitable that a hit maker must emerge mostly when there is residue talent.

WIZKID , PSQURE,2FACE, TIMAYA, BANKY W,PHYNO, OLAMIDE, ICE PRINCE,M.I, DON JAZZY,SEAN TIZZLE,SOUNDSULTAN, DAVIDO ,BURNA BOY ,PATORANKING, to mention but a few are typical examples of musicians who didn’t emerge from talent shows , but they personify the description of musical rave who  wanted it, and was ready to go ahead and hold it down whenever and wherever so far opportunity meets chance because they possess the ability to freestyle.

 In case you don’t know, the ability to freestyle is the energy or magic behind the constant hit songs regularly released by WIZKID and all the above mentioned superstars because I have seen musicians book session at studios but could not pen down a lyric or open their mouth to ride a banging and professionally made instrumentals or beats even in a month time, while some recording artistes will drop three professional ,and hit tracks in few hours .

Henceforth it is cogent or reasonable to say that the ability for an artist to make sense on a totally unanticipated beat or instrumental when called upon guarantees a hit maker, therefore I anticipate and advise a reform to all talent shows existing in the country at the moment.

Most people might want to put the blame on poor management and promotion, but I stand on the ground that it has to be good first of all before management can put their creativity and promotion energy to work.

We truly need a change because I for one is fed up and tired of seeing talent show winners fall back to square one.

Disclaimer

This review is not targeted at any particular talent show, neither is it aimed at rubbishing any show or organization.