Guardian

…As Onyeka Onwenu weeps over 12-year-old singing sensation 

LAST weekend witnessed torrents of emotions as one of the judges in the ongoing Globacom reality TV show, the X Factor, Onyeka Onwenu, could not hold back her tears. The elegant stallion had let out tears of joy during the Kumasi audition, which aired on national television in Nigeria and Ghana.

Onyeka‘s emotions brimmed as 12-year-old Emmanuel Mensah, ended his superlative performance of Whitney Houstin’s ‘I look to you’. As little Mensah dazzled with his quality delivery, Onyeka sprang to her feet, applauding him. She then embraced and kissed the boy.

“You did something to me that made me cry and they were tears of gratitude to God for someone like you. You will go places when you come of age. God bless you,” said the diva.

For the Ghanaian grandmaster of Hiplife and another judge on the show, Reggie Rockstone, “My heart is still thumping. We thank God for people like you (Mensah).” Mr. Incredible also praised the boy’s performance, describing it as one of the best voices he had heard during the auditions.

They, however, lamented that Mensah was below the age limit for the show but all voted “yes” for him symbolically to make him realize that a great future awaits him in the music industry.

In a related development, Mr. Unknown, who came with a group, was singled out for progression because of his amazing capacity to rap and Philipa Attah, made it to the Boot Camp in Lagos. MI and Onyeka commended Philipa who rendered ‘Someone like you’ by Adele for being focused and committed. During the Home Visits, the judges will further assess the contestants to prune them down.

Meanwhile a total of 135 aspiring singers have been selected from the huge number of people that participated in the auditions held in Nigeria and Ghana for the next stage of X Factor, sponsored by national operator, Globacom. The successful candidates, we reliably gathered, were selected from the auditions held in Port Harcourt, Abuja, Lagos, Kumasi and Accra between April and May this year. In all, a total of 15,000 singers participated in the auditions, with Lagos having the highest figure of over 5,000 participants.

According to Globacom’s Head of Reality Shows, Sulyman Bello, “The shortlisted contestants have moved to the next stage of the competition, the Boot camp, which opened on Monday, June 3, and closes on Tuesday, June 4. Successful candidates from the Boot Camp thereafter progressed to the next stage, which is the Judge’s Home Visits scheduled for Wednesday, June 5 to Friday June 7.”

Bello further explained that the top nine acts from this level of competition will then move  to the next stage which is the live performances and eviction through voting by members of the public.

Unlike other singing reality shows, X Factor is designed to find new talents. It is also the only format where judges also double as mentors and compete against each other, which ultimately leads to more excitement and, most importantly, ensures that the best talent emerges winner at the end of the day.

The N24 million (USD 150,000) cash prize being offered by Globacom is the biggest prize money for similar shows in Africa. The winner will also get a recording contract with the internationally acclaimed label, Sony Music.