Nigerian Idol vs The Voice Nigeria
Looking to enter a musician competition in Nigeria? Idol or The Voice? Let's find out.

Indie music in Nigeria is on the rise like I'm much of the world. Despite this progress, there are still many unknown talents looking for how to announce themselves to a big audience. One of the best ways to do that is through competitions. In Nigeria, there are several contest shows where artists can go to show their talent. Most of the established and celebrated artists are always on the hunt for ways to help newbies.

The result is they have different competitions with different kinds of prizes on offer. From record deals to huge cash prizes, there's plenty an upcoming talent can gain by winning these contests. Not everyone can win, however, so you'd have to be the best of the best. This fact will discourage some people, but don't let it get you. Look at it this way.

In the best-case scenario, you win the competition and get all the juicy prizes. Worst case scenario, you'll showcase your talent to hundreds of thousands, even millions, of people. You'll get great exposure and work with other awesome artists. So you see, the prize isn't the only thing on offer.

Your dilemma shouldn't be whether to participate or not. Your dilemma should be which one to enter. To help you with that, I'll be comparing two of the biggest competitions in Nigeria, Nigerian Idol and The Voice Nigeria. In the end, I'll have a recommendation for you on which one to enter, so make sure you read everything.

Nigerian Idol

After being dormant for five years, Nigerian Idol returned to Nigerian television in 2021. This new era of the franchise has proved a sensational hit. In 2022, the show recorded an incredible weekly average of 22 million votes. The 2023 show made that number look like a joke. Season 8 finished only about a month ago with a star-studded team of judges in Simi, Dbanj, and Obi Osika. After several weeks of competing, Victory Gbakara emerged to clinch mouth-watering prizes including a 35 million naira cheque.

It's a great win for him, and I hope he goes on to do great things, but what are your prospects? Is this the place to go for your big breakthrough? Let's find out.

To know how good it'll be for you, we must understand exactly how the show works. If it ticks all the right boxes, you know you'll be in the right place. There are three judges on Nigerian Idol and they’re involved from the very beginning. You’ll have to do an audition without instruments in front of them to get in before participating in several audition rounds where the judges keep cutting some contestants off.

Once you get past the different hurdles in the auditions round, you’ll move straight into the live shows where the judges no longer have the power to evict you. It’s all in the hands of the fans from then on. Last season featured a top 11 and every week, votes determined who would stay and who would leave.

One by one the contestants will fall away until only two remain. A final round will then be contested between the two for a winner.

The Voice Nigeria

Another local version of an international competition, The Voice has enjoyed huge success in Nigeria despite only airing for 4 seasons. It was first launched in 2016, and continued in 2017, but was discontinued. Four years later, in 2021, the show returned. The show has featured a variety of Nigerian stars including some independent artists. Falz, Tuface, Yemi Alade, Praiz, and Timi Dakolo among others have all featured as judges on the show.

Waje has been the Nigerian version of Blake Shelton on the show so far being the only judge to have participated in all four seasons of the show. Pere Jason Richman won the last season and won several amazing prizes including a record deal and a 15 million naira cheque.

Again, that’s great for him but we’re here to discuss what the best option is for you. Does the Voice Nigeria offer you a better prospect? Let’s find out.

Like with Nigerian Idol, we need to understand the different stages of the show to get a better idea of how effective it is. There are two main differences between The Voice and Nigerian Idol. On The Voice, you have coaches instead of judges. Each coach will then have their team of singers. This leads us to the second difference, that is, the competition is not only between you and other contestants but between coaches as well.

The show starts with the blind auditions. You’ll come on stage and perform while the coaches sit with their backs turned to you. They won’t see your face until they like what they hear and turn around. If only one coach turns, you’re automatically in their team. If more than one coach turns, you get to choose whoever you prefer to work with.

After the teams are full, you’ll move to the Battles. In this stage, two contestants from the same team will be given a song to perform together as a duet. But there’s a twist. The team coach must pick one person to move on while the other contestant has to leave, but there’s another twist. Another team coach can steal the eliminated contestant if they disagree with their colleague’s decision.

From the Battles, you’ll move on to the Knockouts which is yet another head-to-head round between contestants. There’s no stealing here, however. If you’re out, you’re out. If you get past that, you’ll enter the live rounds where the fans will decide your fate through votes. The finale is the final step where the winner is decided.

Verdict

I prefer the format on The Voice. It allows you to learn from some of the very best in the business and still gives you a live platform to show off the star in you. The Battle and Knockout stages in particular are my favorite part of the show.

On the flip side, Nigerian Idol boasts a bigger package. They have more viewers and are backed by bigger sponsors so your career stands to gain more by winning.

In the end, it’s up to you. If you’re after a journey that makes you a better artist and performer, I recommend The Voice. If you want the bigger package, however, Nigerian Idol is the place to go.