The most tenable music reality show in Ghana, the Voice Factory Season 5, wrapped up on Saturday, September 16, 2023.
The show, organised by Ghana’s leading television station Citi TV aims to transform the musical careers of talented contestants from Ghana with a cash prize of GH¢20,000 and a fully paid trip to Dubai at stake kicked off with a two-day audition in May 2023.
Participants from all over Ghana, including the Upper East Region, presented a wide range of musical genres, including rap, dancehall, Afrobeats, highlife, gospel, and reggae.
After an exhaustive audition process, the final 11 contestants were chosen from an impressive pool of 200 entrants: Bella, Seyiram, Manuel, Ernest, Titi, Princess, AG Wilson, Kleos, Cielo Bee, Rigwello, and Jerry EL.
The contestants then embarked on a 13-week journey of themed competitions, covering a wide range of musical genres, including reggae/dancehall, rhythm and blues, soul, pop, Afrobeats/hiplife, highlife, inspirational gospel, duets (team-ups), acoustic night, and artiste night.
This extraordinary journey began on Saturday, June 10 at 6:30 PM, exclusively on Citi TV. During the Week three live performance, Kleos was evicted for receiving the least votes.
Although together with Rigwello received the fewest votes, he was let go while the judges saved the latter. But the rules of the show were amended.
The organisers brought the league table format that ranked the contestants based on their votes.
Per the league table addition, Kleos was recalled into the show. His return was announced after the live performance of Week 4 on July 8, 2023.
In the week 11 round of live performances on Saturday, August 26, 2023, the contestants were tasked to face off against each other in a series of duels, where they performed the same song and the judges decided who sang it best.
The contestants brought their A-game, and the judges were impressed with their performances. The competition got increasingly challenging, with the contestants having to sing more difficult songs and being under more pressure to impress the judges and the audience.
The grand finale saw Cielo Bee being crowned the winner. The grand finale cleaved in two rounds. The first round saw five of the contestants being eliminated for having the least votes.
Bella, Jerry EL, Rigwello, CieloBee, Ernest and Seyiram advanced to the final round. With the highest of votes and her resplendent performance, Cielo Bee was adjudged winner. Jerry EL was the first runner-up with Rigwello being the second runner-up.
Here are some of the takeaways from Voice Factory season 5
1. Strong contestants:
The contestants on the Voice Factory S5 were some of the most talented singers in Ghana. They had a wide range of vocal styles, and they were all passionate about music. entertaining performances, and it kept viewers coming back for more.
2. Talented judges:
The Voice Factory judges were Fred Kyei-Mensah (Fredyma), Abiana, and Edinam Bright-Davids. Fredyma is a legendary Ghanaian sound engineer, Abiana is a celebrated Ghanaian singer and songwriter, and Edinam Bright-Davids is a praise and worship singer and a media personality at Citi FM. All three judges are all experienced musicians and vocal coaches.
They have a keen eye for talent, and they are able to give the contestants valuable feedback. This helped the contestants to improve their singing skills, and it also made the show more informative for viewers.
There were instances when guest judges were brought in. These judges were accomplished musicians, such as Tic Tac, Pat Thomas, Akwaboah, Nii Okai, and Perez Musik. Their presence was a valuable asset to the contestants, as they were able to provide expert feedback and guidance.
The contestants were grateful for the opportunity to learn from these legends of the music industry.
3. Golden MIC Performer:
The Golden MIC Performer was a very engaging format. The award is given to the contestant with the most outstanding performance on the night by the judges.
This format motivated the contestants to work extra hard and was very exciting for viewers. Kleos, Bella, AG Wilson, Rigwello and Princess were recipients of the Golden Mic Performer Award.
4. Great production values:
Over the years, Citi FM and Citi TV have really carved a niche for being a major force to reckon with in the events industry.
Over the last 18 years, the media house has never failed to produce top-notch fun-packed events with tickets selling out several hours, if not days, ahead of time.
The Voice Factory was produced to a high standard. The sound quality was excellent, and the visuals were stunning. This made the show a pleasure to watch, and it helped to create a sense of excitement.
Lourdes Alexandra-Oppong and Chris Kata were outstanding co-hosts of the show, delivering their lines eloquently. Music director Nii Quaye was amazing, using his vast knowledge of music to help the contestants improve their vocal dexterity.
5. League Table:
The League Table was a new addition to the show that really made the competition more keen. The table ranks the contestants based on their votes, and it adds an extra layer of suspense to the show.
These of the factors that have contributed to the success of The Voice Factory Season 5.
