Multichoice Nigeria and Africa Magic, the producers of Nigerian Idol, said they received about 10,000 entries when auditions opened for the seventh season.
In a statement on Saturday, Dr Busola Tejumola, Executive Head of Content and West Africa Channels, Multichoice Nigeria, said it was the most entries they had ever received for the show.
Tejumola said Nigerian Idol had been a coveted platform for aspiring musicians in the past.
“So, the number of people trying to get on the show is not surprising. However, it is interesting to note that about 10 out of the 10,000 people that applied will make it to the live shows. Perhaps even more exciting is the fact that there will be only one winner who will take home all the prizes,” she said.
On the audition process, Tejumola said: “For this season, we held auditions online, and for the first time after a long time, we also had physical auditions. This year, we had a hybrid just to give more hopefuls of the Nigerian Idol format a chance to enter and get a shot at fame. We had a record number of almost 10,000 entries, an increase from last season.”
According to her, the three-month music reality show will follow talented musicians through rigorous training in order to create a new Nigerian music star.
“They will be judged by award-winning artiste, Oladapo Oyebanjo ‘D’banj’; singer-songwriter, Simisola ‘Simi’ Kosoko; and creative industry entrepreneur, Obi Asika. IK Osakioduwa will return as the host of the show. The winner for this season will walk away with N100 million worth of prizes,” she said.
The countdown for the seventh season of the show, which premieres on Feb. 6, has begun since the online and physical auditions were completed in November.
Tejumola said the show will be broadcast on Africa Magic Urban, Showcase, and Family at 7 p.m.
“There will also be a non-stop bonus content on DStv ch 197 and GOtv ch 29. The live shows will start airing on March 20,” she said.
The headline sponsor of Nigerian Idol season 7 is Bigi drinks, and the co-headline sponsor is Binance.