Winner of the first edition of The Voice Nigeria, Arese Emokpae beemed with smiles as she was unveiled as the winner of Mnet’s reality TV show, the voice, Nigeria last weekend, as she was presented with an SUV valued at seven million naira by Africa Magic, as well as a four-day trip to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Speaking to Saturday Tribune on her success, she revealed that her father was supportive of her career. She said “I remember saying to myself ‘this is not the end of me being on stage. I thought my dad would be against it and since he wanted me to graduate from school and get a job, but he told me to go for it and that was the moment that I started and then I have been pushing ever since then”.
Also pointing out her greatest challenge on stage, Arese admitted that it was the ability to gain confidence. According to her, “My biggest challenge was confidence, because I’m a very quiet and shy person, I don’t really do well, being the centre of attention, while I was doing ‘Saro the musical’ we sometimes had weeks or months to prepare, but with this, it was different, everyone was out there to judge you, so my major challenge was getting over what people would think or say”.
While thanking the judges and the whole Mnet team, she said, “I feel very grateful and overwhelmed, I want to say thank you to our coaches who literally changed our lives, I have learnt a lot and grown a lot. To be honest, I’m still not sure, there are so many things I want to be able to do with my music, but that’s the beauty of being able to work with professionals, so I’ll like people to pay attention and they will find out soon enough.”
Also speaking at the press conference, the Director, M-Net West Africa, Wangi Mba-Uzoukwu, said: “We are extremely delighted with the success of The Voice Nigeria. It’s the first ever season and we are thrilled with the outcome. For three months, Nigerians and indeed the rest of the continent were treated to the best entertainment on television with our amazing coaches and contestants putting their best feet forward. Today we celebrate Arese who is undoubtedly a deserving winner and in the same vein thank our sponsors whose support made the show possible.”
Mr. Enitan Denloye, the vice-president, Brands and Advertising for Airtel Nigeria, said: “As Nigeria’s smartphone network, Airtel is always excited to enter partnerships that connect the Nigerian youth to their dreams. The Voice Nigeria presented an amazing opportunity to do this and we were more than excited to come on board as lead sponsors. The sponsorship of The Voice Nigeria is yet another example of Airtel’s commitment to empowering young, talented Nigerians like Arese, a deserving winner who embodies the spirit of youth, passion, skill and perseverance.”