Abiana clarifies Mentor XI auditions saga, says ‘No harm intended
Ghana’s songstress Abiana Music has explained why she was criticized as a judge on the Mentor XI auditions platform. She told Giovani Caleb on Showbiz 360 that her comments were purely in line with her work(judge). She added that she did not intend to break any talent’s spirit.
As a co-judge for the upcoming Mentor XI Accra auditions, a video of Abiana asking a singer to audition next year went viral. According to most, Abiana was unnecessarily harsh and dismissive of the young man who wanted to showcase his talent and secure a spot on Mentor XI.
In response, Abiana pointed out how time was of the essence since over 500 auditioners had trouped to TV3’s premises to try out for the musical reality show.
She said: “No harm intended. I didn’t want to pull him down or anything. It was just the speed of the moment. See, when you have such numbers waiting to be auditioned, it’s an opportunity for you to sell yourself. If you say you are a singer, I believe you have to choose a song that would show what your voice can do.
“So if you come in with a song that does not display what you intend to do, what do you want me to say? People are waiting to be auditioned, and if I don’t do it with the speed of time, we could close the next day. It was nothing like I wanted to kill his vibe or anything.”
Abiana continued to say that sitting as a judge has given her lots of experience and a first-hand look into the start of young careers.
“It’s been awesome. I’m getting to see young talent. I am getting to understand what it is to be in that state. I was a guest judge in Kumasi last year. So this is my second time. Meeting to meet new talent excites me, and when I meet them too, it just reminds me of my past, where I came from. So I’m just happy to be there.”
Over 500 young talents, singers and rappers came to try out for Mentor X.
Unfortunately, the numbers had to be sieved to 35, who will join other successful contestants to finally audition for the final cut today.
