PROJECT FAME:

The curtains have been drawn on the MTN Project Fame Season 7.0. And need we mention that it was a tight competition all the way? Well, Geoffrey Oji emerged as the overall winner with the N5m prize, SUV and a mouth-watering recording contract while Emeka, Ugo, Debbie and Daniela’s fans were not happy about their favourite contestants’ lot in the competition but they accepted the results anyway. Yes, the academy had been a home of magnetic symphony from the first week with the likes of Lami, Oge, Melody and Flourish singing their way out of the competition, at every elimination night. The outcome of the competition was becoming unpredictable every week until Geoffrey did his cover of Majek Fashek’s “Genesis” — and what a breathtaking rendition it was! He won the spotlight immediately at that show and that was a game-changer for all the contestants. They all fought to make it to the top four positions and got the name, “Sensational Eight” in the process. At the grand finale of the reality show at the Ultima Studios, Lekki, the tension was high, competing with general expectations. It was a struggle as many tried to enter the studio to catch the final glimpse of the finalists. Well, for those who preferred to sip-and-chew, the canopies outside the studio where the live action took place, were the targets. The crowd, under the canopies, was quite vivacious, highly inflamed by the DJ and occasionally yelled angrily whenever someone got up and obstructed the view of others. But for the presence of the security personnel at the premises, some angry fans would have started their own “punching reality show.” That was the nature of the passion many music fans have for the widely viewed reality show. The results were announced: Clement as the third runner-up winning two million naira, Christian as second runner-up winning two million naira and a brand new car and Rukky as the first runner-up winning 3-million naira and a brand new car. Three days later, this reporter sought out the eight contestants who made it to the finals through the network of wires and cables at the backstage of the quiet studio, along the corridor where a heap of drum sets used by Adrenaline had been laid to rest till the next season. Arriving at the academy, Rukky, the contestant who was never on probation throughout the competition, was spotted with a black dress and a beautiful hat, looking cheerful beside the other female housemates. She, once a gospel singer, won Tuface’s admiration at one of the nomination shows. “Everyone saw that it was a very tight competition,” the Kaduna-born singer gushed. “One could easily feel discouraged having seen other performances but I just chose to be myself and have fun. I feel that it is just God and His favour that has seen me through.’’ But the viewers also saw her through, voting and cheering, and looking beyond the times she was wearing killer-heels and an over-sized jacket the night Tuface was a guest judge. “So you guys noticed? I was trying to pull my jacket up during the performance,’’ she confessed. She also admitted that she didn’t understand Yoruba at all since she had lived in Northern Nigeria all her life. Emeka, who is arguably the most popular contestant this season, was, inspite of himself, happy to have been part of the competition. “Emekus” as he’s fondly called was only sad for letting down his rather intimidating fans. “I didn’t feel bad for not making it to the top four,” he said. “I was only sad because of the people who cheered and supported me all the way because they wanted me to go home with something even though ‘na me go carry the tin go house’ (meaning, I’ll own the prize, anyway). I saw some people crying because of me and I felt bad that I let them down. My mother was proud of me and she kept consoling me that I should not cry even though I was expecting her to cry but I didn’t cry at that time.’’ His self-composition, “Love You Pieces” would be recorded and released this October. For him, the experience at the Academy was awesome although Tee-Y mix was his most dreaded judge. “He was the one who voted for me to be in the academy because he believed that I had much in me,” he affirmed. “I thought I was going to leave the first week that I came because I heard amazing voices here at the academy. But then, Project Fame has changed my life for good.’’ Ugo was a studio rat for seven years before he joined the academy in August. He had written songs for many Nigerian artistes and had played in a couple of music bands including Ego’s, MI’s and D’Jinee’s. Still, the years of experience in the music industry did not count as much as the votes from his family and friends did in the competition, which he assessed retrospectively. “It was a turnaround for us in the competition because we started quite slow in the first few weeks of the competition,” he recalled. “The panel members were wondering whether they made the right choices in selecting us but it turned out that each of us is unique. I think my song got popular because it connects with everyday experiences.” Although his guitar was not a regular feature at his performances at the competition, he promised to shine with it soon. While reminiscing on the memories of the other contestants who left earlier in the competition, he said it was Oge’s exit that was the most painful. “Her family is not in full support of her music career and I don’t think she has spoken with her dad till now. For me, it was my prayer that she made it till the end of the competition. When she left, it brought tears to my eyes. It was such a painful experience for me when she left if not for anything but to prove to her family that she could do this and I think Sola’s exit too was quite painful.’’ Coming in as a wildcard was Daniela although she was never a wild one on stage. She kept at cool, almost to a fault, until elimination stared her in the face thrice. She eventually made it to the end of the show as one of the “Exceptionally Eight.’’ “I had to push and fight and not too feel sorry for myself,” she said. “I tried every week to be better and at one point it occurred to me that no matter how hard I tried I would still be on probation. Mummy J noticed this and she spoke to me about it and I picked up again. I didn’t also have enough fans to vote. I was shocked when my dad came to the academy. I didn’t even scream; I just walked to him and put my arms around him and I started crying. It was at that point that I realised how much I had missed them at home.’’ What many viewers did not know was that Daniela also has a bad knee and cannot dance much. But she sings beautifully and asides the micro-concerts that she had been performing at occasions, the young corps member had vowed to move her bed to a recording studio, albeit in different choice of words. In a rare show of kindred talent, Debbie came into the competition with her cousin, Rukky. Discouraged by her failure at the audition last year, she was reluctant to go to the audition this year but with Rukky’s nudging elbow, she enrolled and got into the academy. “One thing I have learnt from Project Fame is family values, supporting one another, yes, we had our fights but we made up,” she explained. “The bottom line is there is always love. If you are watching it on TV, you’d not know that project fame is not a child’s play.” “My dad is a reggae musician so I grew up with that background. I later fell in love with jazz and soul music,” she revealed and that showed in her delivery of reggae songs at the competition. Neck- to- neck with Geoffrey in the competition was Christian, the ladies’ man. He had been recording songs and music videos in Ghana prior to his ten-week stay at the academy. One would have thought that the fame he had in Ghana would get in the way but he presented himself as student at the academy-ready to learn. The other contestants ended up learning showmanship from this young man who is ready to break into the Nigerian music market. “I was always on probation and the judges kept saving me each week and it has never happened before like that in the competition,” he recalled from on the centre-table opposite this reporter. “Geoffrey is a great singer and he is someone that I admire so much. I learnt a lot from him. Right from the onset of the competition, for some funny reason, whether we are doing a duet or solo performance, we were always neck-to-neck. He gave me a good challenge. It was a healthy competition all through and I enjoyed every bit of it. I came into the academy to learn and to create a fan base for myself in Nigeria. It is not just about winning but what you are able to do after the competition with your career.” He said he would have teamed up with Geoffrey if the latter had not emerged as the overall winner but he certainly looked forward to future collaborations with Geoffrey. “I was going to relocate to Nigeria even before the competition and when the faculty said so, I was like, yea, now you are giving me a reason to relocate. If I should go back and stay in Ghana, I will relent. Since I am a workaholic, I think it will be a good idea for me to come to Lagos, use this platform as a stepping stone to elevate my career. “I look forward to working with Iyanya and I hope to meet Praiz because, like me, he finished up at this competition as a second runner-up. I want to know that extra hard work that he had to put into it. I want to work with Tuface and Oritshefemi. I love Nigeria. Nigerians never give up. I am that type of person. Geoffrey told me that I have Nigerian blood in me, even though I am Ghanaian. I am leaving for Ghana tomorrow and will return next week. If I spend two weeks in Ghana, that will be it for me. I will spend just a week and I will be back here.’’ Clement, who got injured in the heat of the competition, was deservedly happy to have made it to the top four. He was sleeping on the couch, receiving injections every time he was to perform and battling with depression, leaving him with just a little strength to engage with the other competitors. “The fact that the injury happened at the wrong time made me very worried,” he said. “I had to read stories about Stevie Wonder. One of my greatest sources of inspiration was Cobhams. The man is amazing. Right now, I have to prove my skills to the world outside here. It was not easy at all.’’ It would be recalled that the first time Clement rehearsed Michael Bolton’s “Back on my Feet Again”, virtually everyone cried. It was hard to detach Clement from emotions although merit was the deciding factor. Although he missed out on the dance routines, he wrote them down for future reference. Like Christian, Nigeria is home for Clement. “I will return to Nigeria. Nigerian audiences are so amazing. God bless Nigeria,” he said, enthusiastically. At last, Geoffrey, free of calls from his family and friends that he had not spoken with for 10 weeks, spoke about the highlights of his stay at the academy, one of which was the extra-ordinary performance of Majek Fashek’s “Genesis”. “It is feels so good and I feel very honoured and blessed,” he said. “I like Majek Fashek. I like the energy that he carries when he performs. There is no way to perform the song without the character. The song Genesis was talking about prophecy so I had to play the role of a prophet. Of course, I go to church so I was able to interpret the song.’’ Geoffrey also acknowledged that other contestants had unique winning skills, adding that “everyone is a winner.’’ “Christian is a very energetic performer and I learnt a lot from him,” he said, just when lunch arrived in a telling carrier bag. “We worked together and in that duet, we were not trying to outshine each other. I also learnt not to be sentimental in decision making. There were individual differences and sometimes someone may not see the joke in what you think is a joke. I felt bad when Sola left. The guy was very humble and respected everyone. I know that Sola will ‘blow out there’ because that persona will take him places.’