StarTimes begins search for next Afrobeats star

The contest, which premiered on Sunday, will run for 13 weeks.

It is geared toward unearthing singers between the ages of 18 and 35, and will reward the ultimate winner with a prize package including ₦10m (about $23 000) and an artist development programme at the Kennis Music label, among others.

During the competition, contestants will render covers of popular Afrobeats songs while benefitting from mentorship from industry vets including Kennis Music founder Kenny Ogungbe, producer ID Cabasa and reggae-dancehall artist Asha Gangali, who double as judges of the contest.

The judges are currently in the process of selecting seven finalists from 17 emerging acts drawn from across Nigeria. They include Sparrowh, TOMs, MB Dre, Specko and Kachi, Jaydbody, Greysky, Denerio, Esjay, Thekhaleed and Skimzo, eMzez, Eniolá, Black Bella, SKIFFY, Melo and Jazzman.

“Naija Star Search is fashioned to be an exclusive Afrobeats show, the first of its kind in the country,” StarTimes chief operating officer Tunde Aina said at the launch of the programme earlier this month. “Ultimately, the goal is to discover the next promising talents with the potential to blow. Top performing talents will work with Kennis Music, who will groom, mentor, produce and market their songs to a music-loving audience in Nigeria and Africa.”

“We want to make this platform where the next generation of Afrobeats stars are discovered and nurtured,” ID Cabasa said. “So we are looking out for talents who will not just be a flash in the pan but have longevity and at the same time, still preserve the Afrobeats sound.”

Ogungbe added: “Afrobeats will never die. The people sustaining it now are in their mid-20s and 30s. To sustain it, we need to groom new talents in their teens so that in the next 10 years, we will still have those holding it. We are here for the future to project the beauty of Naija music.

Naija Star Search airs on ST Nollywood Plus, ST Nollywood and ST Yoruba at 8pm WAT.