• D’banj, Simi, Obi Asika Return As Judges • IK Remains Host

All is now set for Season 8 of Nigeria’s most prestigious reality TV singing competition, Nigerian Idol. The show will premiere on April 23, 2023, as D’banj, Simi, and Obi Asika also return to preside as judges for the season alongside beloved host IK Osakioduwa. This follows the brilliant success of the past edition that saw Progress Chukwuyem emerge as the winner and walk away with 100 million Naira worth of gifts.

On Tuesday, March 28, MultiChoice Nigeria announced the show and judges’ return at a media launch in the company’s multipurpose Lagos studio. Popular TV personality, IK Osakioduwa, will be returning as the show’s host for a third time alongside Obi Asika, who will also be judging his third season. Superstar singer/songwriter Simi and multiple-award-winning entertainer D’banj are also back for a second time, ensuring the band stays together.

It would be recalled that the organisers announced the return of the show in January, with the online and physical auditions following shortly after. The eighth season will premiere on April 23, starting with recordings from the auditions. Fans expect to be thrilled by hilarious and beautiful performances from upcoming superstars.

The auditions and theatre week will air from April 23 till May 21, so fans can follow the journey of the final live-show contestants. The live shows will begin on May 28 and end on July 16, when a new Nigerian Idol will emerge.

Dr Busola Tejumola, Executive Head of Content and West Africa Channels at MultiChoice Nigeria talked about MultiChoice’s reasons for producing an eighth season of the show.

“Nigerian Idol has continued to offer talented Nigerian artistes the platform to show the continent what they can do and an opportunity to rise to fame through hard work and dedication. It is a rare chance to gain access to the hands-on mentorship provided by the judges, our vocal coaches, the world-class production team and the choreographers that altogether unveil the intricacies of the industry to these talents and a chance for them to hone the skill in readiness for their contracts.

“This year, we are thrilled to have our entire panel of judges back – D’Banj, Simi, Obi Asika. They will return to steer the course of affairs. We look forward to a wide array of music and song choices across genres and spectacular performances that together deliver a fantastic show.”

Returning judge Simi spoke about the qualities a Nigerian Idol must possess. She said, “Have a great work ethic and be passionate about your work Talent is never enough.”

On the other hand, Obi Asika confessed he was looking forward to beginning the journey of choosing a new winner. “If you are going to make it to the top 20, that’s a real fight because there are a lot of people, and many fall off. Every single year, I’m upset that we left some people behind.

It’s always a battle, but it’s also a pleasure. We are blessed with incredible talents. It’s one of the things that make Nigerians special. These amazing talents come through every year, and I can assure you that there are special people this season.”

Over the years, Nigerian Idol has produced some of the most prominent musicians in Nigeria, such as Timi Dakolo, Mercy Chinwo, Kingdom, Progress, and Omawumi, who made a name for themselves in the local and global music scenes. The goal is to produce another superstar at the end of this season.

Meanwhile, MultiChoice has unveiled some exciting news about the upcoming eighth season of the popular music reality show, revealing that the reality music talent show recorded a whopping 10% increase in the number of entries for this season compared to the previous one. Last season, the show received over 10,000 audition entries.

The resources, energy, and originality put into the show each season has attracted more contestants each year, leading to an impressive increase in entries. Nigerian Idol has always been a hotbed of raw talent and a coveted platform for aspiring musicians to showcase their skills to the world.

According to Dr Tejumola, the last seven seasons of Nigerian Idol have been a source of entertainment and healthy competition for the contestants, leading to the emergence of well-deserved winners.