Finally all the nerves have been settled, the anxiety and tension laid
to rest as the last four contestants going to compete for the juicy
prize package of a recording contract and a Dacia Logan car have been
unveiled in the third season of Stars of the Future.

Without a doubt the families, friends and fans of Anita, Dan, Adina, and Ike will be heaving huge sighs of relief that their proteges have made it to the final.

For the contestants themselves, the relief will know no bounds; they have endured ten weekly shows at which they were closely scrutinised by both judges and audiences as well as escaped all those nerve wracking eviction shows.

There should certainly not be any complaints or expressions of surprise from any quarter of the voting public about the make-up of the final four since the public helped the judges in making that selection.

Notwithstanding the fact that all four remaining contestants are good, some are definitely stronger contenders and one of them is Anita Djan. If a girl deserves to win this season’s edition, then it definitely has to be the 21 year-old who has done excellently since the show started.

She made the judges and the audience sit up and pay attention the first week when she sang Alicia Keys’ If I Ain’t Got You and since then there has been no looking back as she has constantly received rave reviews from the audience and the judges for her performances.

One judge actually predicted that first week she was going to be part of the final four and it seems she has made a prophet of that judge.

Although she has had wonderful performances, her most notable include her renditions of Big Brown Eyes by Jimmy Cliff during Old School Night, When I see You by Fantasia Barrino during Pop Night.

She has the strongest voice in the competition and knows how to sustain an audience’s attention with her stagecraft. Her only note of caution has been sounded by Zapp Mallet who has asked that she take control of the low notes in her songs.

The very first week Danny Nettey performed Stand By Me by Ben King, it was obvious that he had all the makings of a star. He conducted himself on stage like a professional and since that night, he has turned in one impressive act after another.

At first glance, he has a very calm and unassuming demeanour but when he gets on stage, he is all fire. He makes great use of his voice, the stage and always involves the audience who love him and have helped him to win some of the Golden Moment Awards and the highest votes.

His strongest acts have been during Ballads and Reggae Night where he sang Gerald Levert’s I’ll Give Anything and Bob Marley’s No Woman No Cry, Ghanaian Music Night, when he did Kaa Kwe Me Jo No by Amandzeba and Africa by Salif Keita for African Music Night.

He has sometimes struggled with his pitch especially when he tries hitting the high notes and has been cautioned not to let the audience get the better of him when he is performing.

Since that first week when she flopped in her delivery of Have You Ever by Brandy, Adina Thembi Ndamse is the contestant who has shown the most improvement in the competition as she has grown in both her vocal abilities and confidence.

Even when she did not really impress her first night, there was never any doubt that she has a great voice. She has overcome the nerves of the first night and has shown that she is one to watch, delivering some good acts like during Ghanaian Music Night when she sang Nana Fynn’s Odo Handkerchief to the admiration of the artiste himself and Rihanna’s Take A Bow during Pop Night.

Loved by both the audience and the judges, she has won some Golden Moment Awards and also received highest votes at some point in the competition. She is fashion conscious and looks elegant and hip during her weekly performances.

She however, has a problem with going hoarse in the middle of her performances and has been warned a couple of times to be careful what she does when not singing. She could also work on her stagecraft as she tends to become boring after a while.

Up until a couple of weeks ago, Ike Ologo had not really shown off his singing abilities in the competition, he was always choosing songs that the audience could sing and dance to and that in part may have been his saving grace and ensured that he is one of the last four standing.

But when he really came out to sing and showcase his strong voice, he impressed the judges who had felt that he was manipulating the audience with his song choices.

He is an audience favourite and they always cheer him on during his shows even though it does not necessarily translate into votes for him all the time.

Some of his best shows have been during Ghanaian Music Night when he sang Ngozi by the late Michael Dwamena, Storm Is Over for Judges Choice Night and a medley of songs by No Tribe for Gospel Night.

His strongest asset is his showmanship, he knows how to really work the stage and audience everytime he gets on stage. His only problem is that he sometimes gets carried away by the enthusiasm of the crowd and forgets himself.

Certainly the finale on August 23 at the National Theatre is a not-to-be missed event; the contestants will be at their performing best, the guest artistes lined up will wow the audience to their feet, and the atmosphere will certainly be charged judging from what has been happening during the weekly shows.