6 talent show failures who have made major music success

Tusker Project Fame 6 ended last Sunday with Uganda placing third. This broke hearts of many Ugandans who felt this was a blow. Considering Daisy Ejang’s musical prowess and growth on the show we all wanted to see her win the competition but this never happened.

We all have to understand that this is a competition that always has one winner. However the reality of it can only kick off after the show. It baffles that just a handful of such TV winners have made it in the business. It’s not just Tusker Project Fame but all the international shows all over the world.

Uganda’s TPF6 contestants who failed to bring the money home.

This is majorly because these winners tend to wait on the record labels they’ve gotten signed to to push their music which sadly never happens. It makes matters worse when singers that do bubble gum music get airplay yet powerful singers bask in oblivion waiting on luck to befall them.

While most of the failures don’t make it, the big success from this TV Show business are all from failures. What always makes these failures turn into success is the zeal and energy they inject in their pursuit to stardom. Many of them tend to go back to the drawing board and re-brand themselves. It’s therefore too earlier to annoit all our Ugandan TPF6 contestants failures. They might just make it. Here are a few stars who have made it despite their failure on TV.

1. Naava – TPF

Everyone will call her the only TPF alum who has made musical success but way back in 2009 she was among the many upcoming musicians in Kampala hopping from radio to radio just to make a killing. She was on season two of the show which was won by the obscenely talented Esther Nabaasa. Naava re branded herself into what Uganda what might have liked right after getting evicted. This unfortunately never helped. She was never heard of not at until 2011 when Fenon signed her. She’s now one of the most powerful singers in Uganda.

2. Cindy – Coca Cola Real Stars

One might wonder why I have her on this list. Way back in 2003, Cindy was on a TV show sponsored by Coca Cola called Real Stars. She was so young with so many dreams. She thought that her dreams had been shattered when she didn’t win this competition. She tried going solo but failed to make it. When a new TV show Coca Cola Pop stars opened, she was one of the many that auditioned. Cindy later won and joined the all girl group BLU3. Blu3 is arguably the most successful group from the competition in East Africa. When things fell apart and she got cut from Blu 3, the Total Satisfaction singer didn’t give in. She kicked off a solo career just like any singer from scratch. Right now she’s one of the most commercially successful performers in Uganda.

3. Maureen kabasiita

Maureen was the girl with a mole in season 3 of TPF. Unlike Naava, Maureen’s stint on the show was long enough for East Africa to realize that she was indeed talented. She got evicted a day to the finale and this might have made her think it had been the end. However a few years away, she has re branded herself and her songs play on mainly Luganda radio stations. Actually she’s really big that she feels fulfilled as a musician. Her hit song Kasengeja ruled airwaves on local radio and TV stations. She’s currently part of Fusion band.

Other international stars

4. Carly Rae Jepsen 

She’s most popular for her hit song ‘Call Me Maybe’ that made many of us nod our heads in unison whenever it played. Carly placed third in the fifth season of Canadian Idol. She released her own album Tug of war right after completing her Idol tour. Her hit single was released three years later. The song only became a world wide hit after making 400 million views on You Tube and getting the attention of Justin Bieber who referred the singer to his manager. She was later signed and her song reached number one all over the world. She received a Grammy nomination for this song and multiple awards.

5. Jennifer Hudson

She’s one of the most successful African – American actresses. In 2004 she was seventh on hit TV show American Idols season 3. This season was won by Fantasia Barrino. In 2006 she landed a major role in the movie Dream Girls. Fantasia too auditioned for this role but never made through. Ms Hudson later out shined Beyonce who was also in the movie onto winning an academy award, a Golden Globe award, a BAFTA and many other accolades. Her eponymous musical album was certified Gold in 2006 upon its release and she later won a Grammy for it.  She has sold 1,280,000 albums and 2,237,000 tracks in the United States as of February 2012.

6. One Direction

This is one of the most successful boy band groups of these past few years. After placing third in the  seventh season of  TV show X Factor UK, the five boys signed onto Simon Cowell’s Syco Records in 2010. The group took over US right after silently taking over UK and Ireland. The group has sold 19 million singles and 10 million albums. According to Nick Gatfield, the chairman and chief executive of Sony Music Entertainment UK, One Direction represented a $50 million business empire by June 2012.  By April 2013, the band had an estimated personal combined wealth of £25 million.

There are many other TV show failures who have made it in the industry. Our five Ugandans could be joining this list too. Success is far from winnng the coveted cash prize but the many years after the TV show. Let us support our Ugandans, they definitely have what it takes.

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