First Bank has been announced as one of the sponsors of the third season of The Voice Nigeria. The show, which first hit the Nigerian airwaves in 2016, is making a comeback after almost three year hiatus. The last edition was held in 2017.
“For over 126 years, First Bank of Nigeria has been at the forefront of nation building, supplying through resourceful partnerships to build Nigeria’s creative industry value chain. Nigeria’s creative industry has over the years played a critical role in influencing the growth of Africa’s art and culture and indeed a major contributor to Nigeria’s GDP,” said the Chief Executive Officer, First Bank of Nigeria, Adesola Kazeem Adeduntan.
He described the bank’s support as “a demonstration of the bank’s commitment to contributing to the projected revenue of 86 million dollars by 2021 from the Nigerian music industry aimed at promoting a diversified economy in line with the federal government of Nigeria’s economic diversification policy”.
For Premier Lotto, promoters of Baba Ijebu, which is also a sponsor of the singing reality TV show, the brand is committed to
promoting a vibrant society.
“We are proud to be sponsoring The Voice, Season 3. We believe that Music is an integral part of the African heritage and that is why we have partnered with the Number one music reality TV show in the world to provide a platform for the best of talents in Nigeria to shine. For us, this is a unique opportunity to provide global exposure for the laudable achievements and tremendous potential in the Nigerian entertainment industry. We are, therefore, excited about this season of The Voice and our goal is to ensure that everyone is a champion. Talents, viewers, and game lovers are in for an amazing season with many opportunities to come out on top,” said the Executive Director in charge of Operations, Adebisi Adebutu.
For the third season, the show will be fully produced in Nigeria and is expected to attract and help unleash the brightest of Nigerian musical talents for the global stage as the country’s music industry continues to enjoy international attention.
It will be exclusively produced by UK’s notable TV brand ITV, Universal Music UK and in partnership with YouTube.
The coaches for this season include first time coaches Darey, and Falz, as well as return coaches, Waje, and Yemi Alade. Each of these award-winning artistes boasts a successful music career across different genres, and they will be bringing to the table a wealth of experience in making excellent music, becoming a superb performing artist, and connecting with people, especially Nigerians, through art.
Expressing his delight over the show, the Managing Director, Un1ty Limited and Executive Producer, The Voice Nigeria, Akin Salami, stated: “We are excited to kick off The Voice, Season Three, especially at a time like this when there is a growing appreciation for African music. This is an amazing opportunity to provide a learning platform for exceptional Nigerian talents and to show the world the quality of entertainment we are capable of. With the size of what we intend to bring to life, we have partnered with industry leaders, Livespot360, to deliver a show like never seen before. We have exceptional sponsors and our great broadcast partners, Africa Magic and AIT with reach and that have provided invaluable support in bringing the show to life. We are confident that our coaching panel will infuse their expertise and energy to make this a spectacular experience for the talents and the viewing audience.”
The Voice Season 3 will be hosted by TV host and actress Nancy Isime. She will be joined by the popular radio personality and Vlogger, Toke Makinwa.
Registration for The Voice is ongoing and is free. However, interested talents must have a First Bank account, record a one-minute video singing without a sound track, upload and fill the form on the website. The show is open to both female and male contestants who are Nigerians and have a government-issued means of identification. Talents must be at least 18 years by November 1, 2020. Interested talents can visit the voice website for more information. Audition will end on September 19.
