Fast-rising singer Ayo Benzi has been crowned the winner of the inaugural ‘Next Afrobeats Star’ competition, clinching the N150 million music record deal attached to the title.
The televised talent show, which launched in August, began its journey with 300 aspiring artistes selected from nationwide open auditions.
Through a rigorous process of training and performances, the pool was first streamlined to 48 contestants, then narrowed further by a combination of judges’ decisions and audience votes to 24, and finally to the top 12 contenders.
These finalists were divided into four teams, each mentored by a heavyweight Nigerian producer: Puffy Tee, P.Prime, Sarz, and Andre Vibez.
The competition culminated in a grand finale last Saturday, where Benzi emerged victorious from the top four finalists.
In his victory speech, Benzi attributed his win to consistency and resilience. He shared that despite a humble background, he maintained his focus throughout the demanding competition.
“I am short of words. This is a sign of not giving up. I have been pushing all this while. I have been to other competitions. There are some you get the prize, there are others you do not get the prize,” he said.
“… I used to see music as a side hustle but the fact that I see people going crazy about me is a sign not to give up.”
He also expressed gratitude to the organisers while stating that he can now focus fully on his music career.
“Everything went smoothly. I did not have any bad performance. I enjoyed myself. I am about to take it far. Poverty is not an excuse,” he added.
Also speaking, Onyinye Ikenna-Emeka, chief marketing officer of MTN Nigeria, the music contest’s organisers, highlighted the company’s commitment to amplifying Afrobeats on the global stage.
“We are absolutely ecstatic. The youths are the future of Nigeria and Africa. We are proud to be part of the orchestrator of that segment of the market,” she said.
“One of the areas where Nigerian exports have been widely recognised is music. And Afrobeats has taken a centre state in the world. And we are very delighted to be part of that story.
“For us at MTN, when we think about Nigeria, we think about the creativity, we think about the love Nigerians have for music. Today, we crowned the first ‘Next Afrobeats’ star. We are delighted at the prospect he has.”
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