I thought it was only when someone wins a competition via voting that in most cases the winner’s triumph is doubted since with voting the winner did not necessary have to be good; all the person needs to grab are the votes. However, the judges of the Hitz Discovery have proved that indeed one didn’t need to do or have more to be a winner in a competition such as Hitz Discovery Reality Show.
The program was scheduled to start at exactly 7:00pm but Ghanaians disregard for time made sure the show started two hours late. When yours truly got to the venue, it was virtually empty at 7pm. So I guess it was a good thing the organizers waited for the tickets buyers to come and by so doing salvaged their investment.
Honestly, I’m not an avid listener of radio. After I witnessed the launch of the ‘Hitz Discovery’ reality show late last year; I had not paid any attention to the progress of the show until the finals. So I knew nothing about the finalists. I went to the venue to watch and to tell. And that’s exactly what I’m about to do.
As I sat close to the DJ box with my legs crossed, holding a pen and notepad ready to scribble, I knew I was ready for the show and prayed that, the judges will not play the ‘favouritism tactics’ and favour a contestant.
There should be a level playing field for every contestant. The Hitz Discovery Grand Finale is one of the shows which from my perspective started with already a winner, a certain Prince Hlordzi but as to why the crown eluded him at the end is beyond my understanding. Indeed I thought it was very strange.
Before the show started, the previously evicted contestants joined the 6 finalists to perform a song they had pre-recorded for the reality show. Watching them closely during their performance I wondered why some of them didn’t make it to the finals.
But I answered myself; they couldn’t get enough votes to catapult them to the finals. I bet I’m right! This is just by the way. When eventually the competition commenced, I was obliged to ask again how some of finalists managed to make it to the finals.
First Round:
There were two intensive rounds. All contestants performed copyright songs they had picked for themselves. Prince Hlordzi performed one of Sarkodie’s songs.
Watching him perform brings out the argument: Is there a fastest rapper in Ghana? Perhaps Ghana has more ‘fastest rappers’ now. He did justice to the song as if he owned it. His performance was what I’d tag as a winning performance.
The next contestant Woeli Segbefia, as a Dance Hall ‘wanna be’ performed Samini’s ‘Sweet Mistake’. From where I sat and the reaction I got from the audience, he made a sweet mistake by choosing that song.
He ended up shouting needlessly. He just lost it. I thought the judges would put it blatantly to him and teach him the difference between singing/rapping and reciting but they passed and praised him for a lovely show.
Ernest Ankomah the next to be on stage paraded himself as ‘Berbon Fly’ (hope I got the spelling right) also lost it in the first round. He tried something from Okomfour Kwadee but I thought he shouted instead of singing/rapping.
One interesting thing was that he had the luxury of touching on about 3 of Okomfour’s songs and yet failed miserably. Too bad but truth be told. His dressing too seemed inappropriate for the occasion.
After his performance, a voice behind said “Is this a High School competition?”
David Addy was one of the few singers of the night. He performed Jay Ghartey’s ‘My Lady’. During and after his performance, it was blatantly obvious that Jay Ghartey wasn’t the person performingthe song.
Though he managed to get the only female judge to nod her head and feet, the other judges failed to tell him that in musical world, diction is very important. Come on, if it was Mark Okraku Mantey or Simon Cowell of American Idol, he would have told him in the face.
Hagar Adjei, the only female of the night performed a song from gospel songstress Gifty Osei. She tried her best to excel but it seemed it wasn’t good enough to pierce through the male-dominating competition.
Her genre of music suits her well. If dress was the yardstick to judge, she would have come on top.
Augustine Afrifa performed Konfi’s ‘Like Father Like Son’ track. He wasn’t smart enough to have picked that song, since the rap duo, Konfi had already come on stage to perform the same song beforethe show started.
I’m sure the audience noticed the difference and I side with them wholeheartedly. He could have done better.
And throughout this round, the judges towed the same line of ‘praising praising’ instead of ‘castigating or praising’. Come on.
Second Round:
Again after the first round, I wondered how some of the finalists qualified to the finals. I don’t know if the organizers sponsored the contestants to record their own songs but in the second round, the contestants were given the chance to perform their own songs.
Talking about own songs, it’s a song that has the lyrics written and sang by the contestant. But in this case some of them were given instrumentation to rap with.
For instance, instead of Prince performing his own song, he rather picked Bradez’s ‘Simple’ instrumentation. Though not actually his real song, he just fitted in his raps well and convinced the people enough of his willingness to ascend the crown.
Woelie should have been thrown out of the competition in this round. The guy picked Gyptian’s ‘Hold Yuh’ beat and made nonsense out of it. It was boring listening to him ‘ragging’ profane and swearing words. Yet the judges thought he had given out a good performance. What a joke!
Ernest, David and Augustine came in with their own songs. The songs were not that bad but they were not the kind of song that people would like to listen to. I dare say those songs would be flushed out if they got to Y-FM.
The fact that it was their own songs got the judges praise and usual words. Hagar Adjei performed another gospel song which sounded like hers. Pardon me, I’m not too into gospel music.
According to the judges after the second round, three contestants namely Prince Hlodzi, Hagar Adjei and Ernest Ankomah scored 95 each.
Indeed yours truly and majority of the audience concurred with the judges but as to why it was a tie was another issue. The other three who scored less were eliminated as the other three made their way to the next round.
To break the tie, the three were given the chance to impress the judges to enable the winner to be declared.
This round was forced as a result of the judges’ inability to get an outright winner though many thought the first two rounds should have provided the winners.
This round provided the contestants the opportunity to repeat their second round performance. Prince and Hagar were in the normal best.
Ernest on the other hand was wise enough to say ‘thank you’ to Vodafone for sponsoring the event as well as thanking the judges instead of performing.
Interestingly, he was declared winner after that ‘thank you’ performance with 105 points, which meant the other two still had to go to a round four to break their tie.
It would be over the bar to think the judges made up of Jamie Adjetey of Joy FM’s Multitrack Show, Georgina Bimpong, an Artiste Manageress and Ahuma Bosco Ocansey, Programmes Director of Hitz FM have their interest in the competition but why couldn’t they mark the other two in the same round as they marked Ernest?
I thought that was a waste of time and it stretched the program unnecessarily. If Ernest could be declared the winner for just praising the title sponsors and the judges then I wonder what would have happened if all the contestants had descended that way.
Hitz Discovery was launched with the sole aim of discovering musical talents. I believe there is a big difference between an underground artiste and a new discovery.
Underground artiste is someone who has been on the scene for long, the person is not necessarily a new act, he or she has just gotten to the mainstream whiles a new discovery is a fresh talent who has just been discovered. With my little definition, I dare say that, the judges erred in declaring Ernest as the winner.
GhanaCelebrities.Com’s check indicates that, he has been an underground artiste for many years. One of the people I spoke to said “Which DJ doesn’t know Berbon Fly in Ghana?”
Prince probably deserved the crown but I will pause a minute here to give Ernest a chance. I forgot one thing, that’s the difference between myself and the judges.
I only have the voice to complain but as to whether people listen is another issue. For them their final say matters.
For their prizes, Ernest Ankomah won a home theater, a deal to produce and promote his own album, a one year promotional package on all Multimedia Group Limited (MGL) platforms worth GH¢20,000, in addition to two music video production and a six-month promotion on Multi TV worth GH¢15,000.
Prince Hlordzi, the first runner up went home with a HI-FI system, promotional campaign on all MGL stations worth GH¢20,000 whiles Hagar Adjei, second runner up went home with a palm top computer and a promotional package on all MGL stations worth GH¢20,000.
How can I end this review without mentioning of the performances by Kwabena Kwabena, Akoo Nana, Nana Boro, Tic Tac, Obour, Stay Jay, Konfi and I did enjoy the show despite my misgivings.
