“A fan called me and was crying on phone after my exit from Nigerian Idol” – Abasiakan

In an exclusive interview with THINK AKWA IBOM! Abasiakan Hanson from Eket, Akwa Ibom State, speaks on his shocking exit from Nigerian Idol.

By Nse Peter

How did you get to know about the Nigerian Idol competition?

I heard of the competition three years ago, then last season when my little sister enrolled and didn't make it past top 50 we started following it….  So, I decided to enter after I was motivated the more by the American version of the show, hoping it had the same values and standards.

Prior to your experience in the Nigerian Idol, have you done any musical performance before?

Well, I've been singing in church, but I have no single, no album. I have featured in one or two singles which I can't say have gone into mainstream yet, if that's what you mean by musical performance.

When you enrolled in Nigerian Idol, were you convinced that you could win the competition?

Yea, I thought it was gonna be a piece of cake for me to win.

Now that you have been evicted, are you disappointed with yourself or with the competition itself?

With myself? No, not at all because I gave my best. With the competition? Yes, but not completely.

How do you mean?

You know, when you can vote multiple times with one phone line in a competition like this, it is easy for unexpected or undesired outcomes to be perpetrated. But if it's one vote per line, or a limited quantity of votes per round per line, the results can be more realistic and more acceptable by the viewers.

So, if you have your way, you would propose for one man, one vote at a time, for the competition?

Why not! Very well, because if the show is supposed to show the world the best, then that measure is the most viable method to realise that goal. But as you know, the organizers of the show know best, so my opinion may not hold enough water.

When you entered the competition, were you going for fame or the money?

Hmmm...... Fame, but most of all, to show Nigeria that music can be good here too, and also encourage us to uphold and if possible raise the bar of the standard and depth. And make people have me at the back of their minds when it's 7pm on Sunday (laughter).

And going by how viewers reacted angrily to your eviction, it shows that you may have achieved fame already, though you didn't win the competition?

Yes, and am glad about that…. The interesting thing is that, those reactions you saw online is just a minute percentage of those who are not happy about my eviction.

What's your reaction to some commentators who said though you have a good voice and energy, but you weren't able to connect perfectly with the crowd?

Well, it's possible, you know.....You never know what people are looking at; you never know what you look like when you're performing, although with such a criticism in mind, I can get better in my performances.

What would you say was your most awesome moment during the competition?

Hmmm.....When I did Invincible by Lemar!

How was it like?

The feeling or the performance?

The general atmosphere? The feeling? I mean what really made it awesome?

I think you should see the video on Youtube, honestly it's hard to explain...but I felt invincible after hitting that high-pitched ending.

I am sure your fans kept increasing each day while you were in the competition. Have you had any unique encounter with any of your fans so far?

Hmmm...yes oh, I got a free ride from Akwa Ibom Airport to Eket by someone who saw me on tv...I'm asked for autographs very soon and photograph takes also. Last week I got a fan who called and was even crying on the phone after my exit.