Clapping, stage lights and confetti set the stage aglow as  Victory Gbakara was announced as the winner of Nigerian Idol Season 8. Sponsored by Multichoice, this season has been phenomenal with the quality of voices competing for the coveted ?100m grand prize – including ?35m in cash.

The winner’s announcement was a jaw-dropping moment at the show. Johnny Drille, Fave and Progress’ performances thrilled the frenzied audience with some of the greatest hit songs. Johnny Drille made the audience believe in love with The Best Part, Believe Me and How Are You My Friend. Fave owned the spotlight with a beautiful medley of Kante the fan-favourite Beautifully. Meanwhile, Progress performed his latest releases, Lift Me Up and Jo.

Since April 23 when the season kicked off, 10 contestants have battled for the prize with goosebumps-provoking moments. The show, anchored by the serial compere IK Osakioduwa, saw Reigny, Abraham, Quest, Chisom, Savvy Henry, Constance, Precious Mac, Victory, Ose Daniel and Goodness as its top 10 contestants. They were selected from over 10,000 auditioners, whittled down to 29 talents that participated at the earlier stage of the competition. With elimination determined by the number of votes, the contestants needed to impress more than the three judges – Obi Asika, Simi and D’banj.

For the first five weeks of the live show, the contestants had been sent home, one after the other. Precious Mac and Victory Gbakara made it to the final having secured more votes than Quest who was eliminated from the show only one week before the finale.

Heading to the final live show, the contestants had collectively gathered 133 million votes – the highest in the show’s history. By the end of the season, the live shows had recorded over 166 million votes.

Broadcast on DStv and GOtv, Nigerian Idol has become a reality television tradition since 2011 but went on hiatus after the fifth season. The competition returned in 2021 and pulled in more sponsorships including Tecno Mobile and Bigi Drinks. As a worthy winner, Victory Gbakara will walk away with ??35m cash, A brand new SUV, one Bigi Refrigerator and one year’s supply of Bigi soft drinks, an all-expense paid trip courtesy Tecno, a music record deal by a reputable label that will include a video shoot, 1 year supply of WAW detergent, and a fully installed DStv Explora with one year of Premium subscription.

Before coming on the show, Victory Gbakara was a church chorister, lawyer and Poet, only dreaming of a chance to become a superstar. Now, after garnering over 33 million votes in just one week alongside his runner-up, Precious, it’s safe to say his life will never remain the same. The task ahead will be converting those votes into music stream numbers and burning his name on the Nigerian music map.

Still reeling from the win, Victory excitedly said, “I can’t contain my joy. I am so happy, guys. This journey has been a life-changing experience, and it would not have been possible without the support and love of my family, friends, and especially my incredible fans. You all believed in me. That has been my driving force, pushing me to reach for the stars. This victory belongs to all of us. From the depths of my heart, thank you.”

While speaking on Victory’s win, one of the judges at the Nigerian Idol Season 8, D’Banj, observes: “We have a lot of super talented young singers that came through to the show this season. And they delivered. Some of them tried to sound like other people. But we are looking for people who have their own voices, Victory Gbakara definitely does.’’

Likewise, the Head of Content and West Africa Channels, MultiChoice Nigeria, Dr Busola Tejumola remarks: “It is always gratifying for us to create an opportunity for aspiring singers to shine. There’s no gainsaying that Nigeria is a powerhouse of music to the world. The nation is rich with budding music talents who yearn to become the next idols. We are happy to make this dream of young Nigerians become a reality not just on screen but in real life.’’

Congratulations are in order to Victory Gbakara, and fans can continue following his journey on social media via his Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and TikTok pages. Watch Highlights of his performances on Nigerian Idol’s YouTube Page.

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