Naija Star Search: Rendition of Sound Sultan’s 'Motherland' makes judges cry

Toms, a contestant of Naija Star Search, delivered a powerful rendition of the late Sound Sultan's hit song "Motherland," setting the audience on edge and causing uncontrollable tears to fall.

The legendary Sound Sultan passed away in 2021 as a result of complications from angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma in the throat.

He was known for using his music to speak out against issues in the nation such as poor leadership, the prevalence of poverty, corruption, and other societal ills.

Toms' performance made it seem as though the Naija Ninja, as the late Sound Sultan was affectionately known, was performing.

Even though he tried his best, Judge Keke Ogungbe was unable to control his tears as he was removing his glasses from his eyes.

To keep his emotions under control, Kennis Music's boss was seen rocking back and forth in his chair.

Baba Keke's feelings were understandable given that Sound Sultan was signed to his record label at the time Motherland was released.

Ogungbe, who was unable to speak, approached Toms on stage only to assess her before giving her a warm embrace and saying "This is Sound Sultan."

When he heard Toms sing Sound Sultan's song, music producer ID Cabasa, who serves as one of the judges, also lost control of his emotions and started crying.

The late singer's close friend Cabasa recounted to the audience and contestants their final conversation they had before the singer passed away.

He explained that because he had been informed that his deceased friend's song would be performed that day, he chose to wear the outfit he wore on the last occasion he saw the Naija Ninja.

Cabasa revealed that he had a conversation with Sound Sultan about the song Motherland when Nigerians began the "japa" move, which is currently popular in the country.

He said: "There was a conversation I had with Sound Sultan on this song. When all this Japa stuff started. Sound Sultan and I were recording a song in a hotel room on the island. He said if he could go back to this song, he would probably change some lines because of what is happening in Nigeria now."

The sober ID Cabasa while assessing Toms' performance noted: "Toms, you didn’t just bring this song back to life, but you gave it a new meaning intended by Sound Sultan."

And afterwards, a tearful ID Cabasa asked everyone to stand up for a minute's silence in honour of the Jagbajantis crooner.

On the part of the third judge, Asa Gangali, the touching performance of Toms punctured his toughness a wore the look of a torn heart.

The show's host, VJ Adams, was also moved by Toms' performance in addition to the judges and the house audience. Adams couldn't help but feel dejected after the performance.

While Toms made everyone cry, Sparrowh's performance wasn't enough to prevent him from being eliminated that week. Afrobeats will be preserved through the StarTimes Nigeria and Kennis Music partnership on Naija Star Search.

The grand prize of N10m in cash, a recording contract, and the chance to fly are given to the winners as they depart.

Watch video below:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Naija Star Search (@naijastarsearch)