It has been a long road for the finalists on Access The Stars music reality TV show. The contestants have scaled numerous elimination hurdles and are now in prime position to win the debut edition of the music show. The grand e-finale which holds on Saturday, April 11, 2020, will be streamed live on the Access The Stars’ YouTube channel.

Launched in October 2019, Access The Stars is a groundbreaking collaboration between Nigerian Breweries Plc and Access Bank Plc. The platform scoured the country, picking the best talents and passing them through world-class training, covering all aspects of their artistic pursuits. It has been a tortuous road for the contestants, however, the grand prize of N150 million, a brand new car, and a management contract makes it worthwhile.

Speaking on the show, Portfolio Manager, National Premium Brands, NB Plc., Sarah Agha says: “It’s been a wonderful journey discovering special talents and giving them a platform to showcase their best selves. Whoever wins this edition will definitely have all the tools and resources needed to shine more.”

The last episode saw Mimi Victor, Olutunz, Gabriel Songz and SlyWonder say goodbye as they were evicted from Bootcamp. On this episode, the boot camp tutor, Mr Ben, threw a curveball announcing that an eliminated act will be brought back for a chance to secure a spot in the finale. His contestant of choice was Olutunz.

Following the COVID-19 lockdown in most Nigerian states to restrict social gathering, on this episode of Access The Stars, the producers turned to technology-enabled alternatives to produce the show.

In an industry that is often tumultuous, the pandemic presented a rare opportunity for the talents to get extra creative, adapting to the new reality. The result was a vibrant yet artistic display made possible by an army of laptops, headphones and smartphones.

The Judges Stage Show was heated, with virtual performances from the seven contestants. Ada Gold thrilled with ‘Simply the best’ by Tina Turner, while Loven was untouchable with Andy Williams’ ‘The Impossible Dream’. Sadly, it was the end of the road for Anderson, Promyze and newly reinstated Olutunz whose performances failed to impress the celebrity judges; Tee-Y Mix and Kaffy.

Ada Gold, Loven, Firefly and Kitay crossed the finish line making it into the finals. However, there can only be one winner. Viewers who have had front row seats closely following the musical journeys of the contestants, have been given the power to choose the winner of this maiden edition by using a USSD or a text-based platform. Voting ends on Thursday the 9th of April.

Hundreds of music talents auditioned at regionals across six cities. In each city, the top five contestants performed alongside renowned artists such as Olamide, Wande Coal and Naira Marley at the Access The Stars concert. Only two contestants were selected from each city, with a wildcard online contestant chosen to proceed to boot camp. At boot camp, contestants received intense training and masterclasses from seasoned professionals preparing them for their performance at the Judges Stage Show.

Each week, the celebrity judges were tasked with evicting contestants with the lowest scores following their performances. After each eviction, the pool of talent in the running for the grand prize became smaller. With just a few days to the e-Finale the pressure has been ramped up.

Access Bank today is the largest bank in Nigeria and Africa’s leading bank by customer base. It is a full-service commercial bank operating through a network of more than 600 branches and 29 million customers.

Nigerian Breweries Plc is the pioneer and largest brewing company in Nigeria. It serves the Nigerian market spanning 800,000 retail outlets with a consumer base of over 45 million Nigerians.