Meet the Winner Of The Very First Akon Singing Competition

Piece by: Harun Momanyi
Entertainment

The Airtel-Trace Music Star award seeks to find the next biggest talent in music from Africa. The competition, which is an initiative by Grammy Award-nominated singer Akon is definitely a rare chance to change your life. I was lucky to talk to the first winner of Akon's competition, Innocent Balume AKA Innoss'B, a teen singer-rapper from DRC.

He won the Vodafone Superstars Competition back in 2010 and his life has changed since then. He shared with me on meeting the hottest artists in the global music scene and his experience recording a single with Akon. He described it as a “great experience, good vibe in the studio. Akon will let you give ideas, also as I’m as old as his kids, he was like a father, very humble guy.”

On performing on stage with Sean Paul, Innocent said that “it was exceptional to just be there, see Akon and Sean Paul from the hotel to backstage to the stage, and even getting to go on stage and perform with them in front of a big crowd.”

Innoss'B's talent has seen him meet the likes of Ludacris, Nelly, actor Ben Affleck (Bat Man Vs Superman) and T-Pain.

The submissions ended on 11th December but here are some of the tips of winning the Akon Series of Singing Competitions in the future:

  1. Choose the best song: The song you choose to sing on phone for the contest matters a lot. Do not go for high note vocals yet you're a coarse voiced rapper; you'll only be wasting your time. Don't sing Sia's “Chandelier” yet you know yourself very well. Don't rap to “Ligi Soo” yet you don't even know the words. That's the first step to winning – choosing a track you're comfortable with.
  2. Rehearse enough: Don't just wake up one morning and hit the dial to submit your entry. Ample preparation matters. Take it as an exam and get on with it once you're legit with your presentation. Ask your friends what they think of your tune and you'll be sure to nail the competition.
  3. It's a once-in-a-lifetime happening: Akon has nurtured talents. I'm talking about the likes of Brick & Lace, Colby O'Donis, Lady Gaga and T-Pain. They all went through his hands and came out as globally acclaimed artists. To make it in this contest, perfect your craft to the utmost.
  4. Be ready to meet the dream stars of your life: Akon has done collaborations with many artists; the late Michael Jackson, Wiz Khalifa, Wiz Kid, Banky W, Lil Wayne among others. You'll get linkages to potential collaborations, build your brand and maybe sell Platinum – who knows? It depends on the amount of effort you put in.
  5. It's not a trivial project: Once you put this in mind; you'll in as much effort as possible. Eye the ultimate reward; the prize and glamour that comes with it; you'll be known in the country and in the whole world. You'll be famous (and please don't let the money change your style, learn fro P-Square) and there will be a lot of buzz about you; on the Internet and elsewhere.
  6. You're representing Kenya: President Uhuru is friends with Akon who is pioneering the Akon Lighting Africa initiative, which seeks to power Kibera. He'll be visiting the country once in a while to see how his project is going. You'll get national recognition trust me. Tell your friends and family to vote for you; blog about it, talk about it, show passion and do whatever it takes to get as many votes as possible.

and see some of his pictures below: