The Voice: The Battle is Over. Meet the Finalists

They came, they fought with their vocals and now, are ready to conquer the grandest stage in music reality TV shows.

The race to the grand finale of The Voice Nigeria’s third season took another hue last week after Kitay, Anu, KPee and Esther were saved by their coaches to advance to the live shows. They join Dapo, Inioluwa, Eazzie and Naomi Mac for the live shows where the eventual winner will be crowned.

But, four of the talents evicted also stand a chance to return to the love shows if saved by the viewers.

The Voice Nigeria introduced a new element in the show that allows viewers to save their favourite talent to earn a spot at the live show. They can do so by visiting the show’s website where voting instructions are detailed. Voting for last week’s performance will end today.

For the moment, a brief history of the finalists’ journey so far and some fun facts about them.

Kitay: Kitay was the last person to win a spot in The Voice Nigeria. By the time he performed, the other coaches had filled their teams except for Yemi Alade. He was also the last performer for his team during the Knockouts round. His favourite colour is black and he spends more time on Instagram than any other social media platform. Born Okiemute Okotete, the talent revealed he loved singing because he loves music and can’t do without a necklace. He is also a sneaker boy. Kitay edged out Vanilla in the Battles to claim a spot in the live shows.

Anu: During the blind auditions, Anu got three chair turns but eventually picked Waje as her coach. However, Yemi Alade would steal her during the Knockouts round. Anu started singing at the age of 12 and recognises Beyoncé as the best artiste in the world while Wole Oni is her best music producer. An introvert, Anu’s vocal power was greatly admired when she performed ‘God is a Woman’ in the Knockouts round. However, her memorable performance yet the show would probably be the Battles where she and Toeseen gave an emotional rendition of Rihanna’s ‘Stay’ featuring Mikky Ekko.

Eazzie: Born Elizabeth Osesiameh, the 24-year-old singer has been a favourite of coach Waje. She stole her heart in the blind auditions with her performance of ‘Love on the Train’ by Rihanna. Full of nerves during the Knockouts round, many thought that she would be out of the show, but surprisingly, Waje picked her over Teslim. At the Battles, Waje favoured her again over Nuel Ayo after their performance of Ed Sheeran’s’ Perfect’. Eazzie described herself as an extrovert and if she wasn’t singing, she would probably be dancing.

Inioluwa: The Afro-soul singer got Falz and Waje turning for him at the blind auditions, but chose Waje. He got an automatic ticket to the Battles where he edged out Ayomikun. Inioluwa is a lover at heart and expresses this through his music, and rings are one of his fashion obsessions.

Naomi Mac: The fashion designer and singer is not a stranger to music competition shows but is perhaps shining her best on the stage of The Voice Nigeria. She wowed the coaches at the blind auditions and pitched her tent with Falz. Her vocals sailed her through to the battles where she and Tamara gave one of the most memorable performances. She started singing at age nine and uses music to relax. Naomi Mac is an extrovert and will always be caught wearing heels over sneakers.

Dapo: Initially on Darey’s team, Dapo joined Falz’s team during the Knockouts round. At the Battles, Dapo defeated Peace in their performance of Beyoncé’s ‘Already’ featuring Shatta Wale and Major Lazer. Dapo started singing at 23 and his first music concert experience was The Experience.

KPee: From the blind auditions, KPee displayed his creativity. He gave a melodious twist to Kizz Daniel’s ‘Sofa’. Picking Falz as his coach, KPee would later join team Darey at the Knockouts round. For the Battles, the 20-year-old gave an entertaining performance while fighting vocally with Rachel as they sang D’banj’s ‘Oliver Twist’. KPee would have been a football player if he wasn’t singing. The first concert he attended was Sound Sultan Carnival. His favourite music producer is Sarz and when tense, he writes music to relax. One thing to know about him is that he’s a vibe, and that is clearly seen each time he picks up the mic.

Esther: From the blind auditions, Esther showed her vocal prowess, getting four chair turns with her performance of ‘Rise Up’ by Andra Day. She was among the talents who got automatic tickets to the Battles on Darey’s team. At the battles, she outshone Jeremiah in their performance of Teni’s ‘Uyo Meyo’. Fun facts about her include her love for sneakers and the Holy Spirit is the most important person in her life.