The first runner-up of Nigerian Idol Season Six, Francis Atela, has revealed how he felt when Kingdom, his fellow contestant, was announced the winner of the show.
In an interview with the PUNCH, he narrated how the journey went. He said he went into the show with an open mind, a zeal, and a pressure to win.
However, he felt relieved when Kingdom won the show.
He said, “I have always had an open mind. I went into the show with the primary objective of winning because we all have to pay bills. When I got into the show, I made friends and those friends became like family.
“After spending three months with all the contestants, it changed me in a way because we all have similar stories and this made me disabuse my mind from the ‘it’s either I win or nothing’ mentality.
“Sure, I wanted to win but eventually, when I got closer to everybody, I thought to myself that everybody deserved to win. When we got to the ‘top four,’ it clicked to me that whoever won deserved it.
“On the day of the grand finale, just before I went on stage, I was tense and I prayed to God that I wanted this badly but He should give me the grace to accept His will for me.
“When I went on stage and Kingdom was called. I was excited and I felt a weight get off my shoulders. I felt instant happiness and gratitude at how far I came. My heart was filled with pure happiness.”
Francis then revealed artistes he would love to work with.
“There are a lot of artistes I would love to work with, including Fireboy DML and Ayra Starr. From Nigerian Idol, I would like to work with Akunna, Beyonce and Emmanuel. They are amazing singers and I believe we can do wonders together on a song.
“Kingdom is cool. However, the people I mentioned are those I believe we have similar vocals. Kingdom is amazing and I believe he would do better on a song with a female singer, than with me.”
