The hopes of Ghana’s representatives K3M and Apopearls to grab $100,000, gain continental fame and bragging rights in the Pan-African singing contest Old Mutual Amazing Voices, were dashed when they were eliminated.

K3M, a four-man Acapella group from Takoradi in the Western Region was formed two years ago. When the members saw the call for online auditions, they decided to take the opportunity to compete and showcase their talent.

Having not had the experience to perform with a band was the immediate challenge they had to overcome and their massive propensity in Acapella informed the group’s song choices which did not entice the judges.

“Going home so soon in the competition was devastating for our group but we knew in our hearts we had fought a good battle. Though this was a competition, we also formed a bond with other groups, so it was disheartening when our journey came to an end.

“The Old Mutual Amazing Voices experience taught us to bounce back stronger, on any platform. And that glory comes with a lot of hard work," Frederick Otchere, a member of K3M said.

Their fellow countrymen, Apopearls equally have a wonderful story. Apopearls is also a four-man group from Tema in Ghana and the members have also been together as a group for two years. Their passion for music is primarily fueled by their love for Gospel.

Apopearls

Apopearl’s musical journey on Amazing Voices was not an easy one either, as they had to learn and cope with the choreography and dancing that was required for their performances, something that the group was not used to incorporating in their routines.

Even with all the coaching and new found stage knowledge they had been applying, it came as a shock when they learnt they were up for elimination as it was their first time at the bottom and they were aiming for the Golden Voice of the evening.

Nana Egyin-Buadu from Apopearls said, “Old Mutual Amazing Voices was a great experience for the group, not just about meeting people from different cultures but also seeing how production works on such big formats was eye-opening for us and we thank God for the opportunity.”

With the judges’ sudden decision to send two groups home at such an early stage of the competition, backstage, the remaining contestants from Nigeria, Kenya, Zimbabwe and South Africa were visibly shaken. With the shock also came the realisation that they needed to elevate their performances to continue their journey to stardom.

There has been a clear understanding across all the groups that for them to succeed, it is not just about their vocal abilities, but also about grasping the importance of working on their stage presence, audience interaction, showmanship, and choreography.

Viewers can follow the exploits of the remaining groups and get more details on how Old Mutual uses the universal power of music to connect and enable positive futures on Africa Magic (DStv) at 3 p.m. every Sunday.