Shaapera wins USD 25,000 in Tecno Own the Stage

Nigeria’s Shaapera Makepeace is the winner of the first
edition of Tecno Own the Stage, a karaoke contest which
started with 15 contestants – five each from Kenya,
Nigeria, and Tanzania.
Shaapera, who was crowned at the grand finale of the
contest in Lagos last Sunday defeated three other
finalists;   Nandy (Tanzanian), Pascal (Kenya) and Sikin
(Kenya) to claim the coveted prize of $25,000, in addition
to a recording deal, and a brand new TECNO Phantom 5.
The first runner-up, Nandy, who went home with
$15,000, a three-month internship programme at the
internationally acclaimed Chocolate City, and a Tecno
Phantom 5 smartphone, while Pascal got $10,000 and a
Tecno Phantom 5 smartphone for coming third‘ in the
competition.
A consolation prize of a Tecno Phantom 5 smartphone
was given to Sikin, the second Kenyan who came fourth
in the contest which had engaged fans for over 13
weeks.
It was a glorious night for Shaapera who, apart from the
fondness she received from the voting public, was also
loved by the three judges; Bien, Yemi and M.I.
Recall that during the 11th episode of the show,
Shaapera, fresh off her awesome performance,
continued her awesome run with a remarkable rendition
of Adele’s, Rolling in the Deep . Her performance had
made a strong impression on the judges who implored
her to remain focused and not to slip. And when asked
what each contestant would do with their prize money,
Shaapera, a teacher said that she would use the money
to get into the studio, and produce some of her songs.