Dotti Is Nigeria’s Y’ello Star!

The maiden edition of MTN Y’ello Star, a music skill-building initiative for talented young Nigerians, came to a grand conclusion at the finale last weekend with Dotti (Oladotun Okeowo) emerging winner of the keenly contested competition.

The top 14 contestants had engaged in a series of vocal battles over six weeks at the live-in training quarters – the Y’ello Hub.

The grand finale of the MTN Y’ello Star competition witnessed a keenly contested moment as the top six contestants displayed their musical prowess while performing live to both the judges and the viewing audience at the closing performance show on Sunday, December 13, 2020.

However, the competition got to the climax when Dotti emerged as the winner of the first edition of the MTN Y’ello Star music talent hunt project following a performance of Eric Donaldson’s Cherry Oh Baby. 

Dotti, a 26 year old composer from Oyo State, has a National Diploma in Music Technology from The Polytechnic, Ibadan and has worked as a songwriter and jingle producer prior to his participation in MTN Y’ello Star.

Sharing his thoughts on the entire experience, Dotti said, “I am sincerely grateful to MTN for the rare chance to develop my talent. I could not have done this alone. The coaching and business training I have received through MTN Y’ello Star from the Berklee College of Music and the Henley Business School will help my career immensely.” 

Dotti’s winnings include a house with an in-built studio, a new car and N5 million cash prize.

He will also write and record a song under the professional tutelage of six-time Grammy award winner, Malik Yusef, at the Power Studio in New York.

The top six finalists will attend the summer music programme at the Berklee College of Music in the United States. 

Commenting on the successful completion of the premiere season of MTN Y’ello Star, Anthony Obi, Acting Chief Marketing Officer, MTN Nigeria reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to developing the capacity of Nigerian youths. 

“We believe in Nigerian youth and are happy with the outcome of the project. Creativity is crucial to the overall development of the nation and they are the human resources for achieving this. We are committed to continuing work to turn up the drive to succeed,” he said.