International ‘Old-school’ R&B group, Midnight Star and multiple award-winning American lady-group, SWV, have commended the quality of talents discovered and nurtured in the musical academy of the ongoing MTN Project Fame West Africa Season 4.

The two American musical groups, who were in Nigeria over the weekend, were full of praises for the organisers and sponsor of the show, MTN Nigeria, when they visited the MTN Project Fame Studio during the contestants’ rehearsal session ahead of the weekend’s show.

*The Six MTN Project Fame finalists- Roy, Monica, Yvonne, Ese and Ruth.

Obviously thrilled by an electrifying welcome-performance from one of Midnight Star’s super-hits, ‘Midas Touch’ by the contestants, led by the academy music director, Ben Ogbeiwi. One of the group members – Melvin Gentry, who spoke on behalf of others, said it is so amazing to listen to their own song, masterfully performed by the Project Fame talents, urging the contestants to keep their dreams of becoming stars because they already have it in them.

Corroborating, SWV’s Cheryl Clemons, popularly known as ‘Koko’, said she enjoyed every bit of the performance and was impressed by the quality of talents in the academy. Koko also charged the contestants to believe in themselves because they have already started singing like stars and that she is certain they will excel in their music careers.

Midnight Star is an R&B and electro-funk group that had a string of R&B hits in the 1980s. The group was formed in 1976 by trumpeter, Reggie Calloway; vocalist, Belinda Lipscomb; guitarist, Melvin Gentry; bassist, Kenneth Gant; multi-instrumentalist, Bill Simmons; keyboard player, Bo Watson and guitarist/keyboardist, Jeff Cooper, as a self-contained group.

Their visit to the MTN Project Fame show was a psychological boost for the contestants, as the show gradually reaches its crescendo with last weekend’s eviction of Rachel and Princess.

It is now an open voting situation for the final six contestants; Roy, Ethel, Yvonne, Monica, Ruth and Ese. Viewers are to continue to vote for their favourite contestants by sending their unique number  to 306 from an MTN line, as the contestants go into the final battle for the Ultimate winner of the show, with a reward of N2.5 million, a Toyota RAV 4 and a multi-million naira worth one-year recording deal.