TV3 Mentor: What REALLY Happened To The Winners

In loving memory of Ekua "Adez" Adadzewa — TV3 Mentor, Season 2 who passed on 2 days before this film premiered. After the show she became one of the voices behind our music. This one is dedicated to her. Rest well. 🤍 TV3 Mentor gave Ghana its very first music stars — so what really happened to them? Some blew up, some faded, Becca walked away, and Black Sherif, who was rejected at the audition went on to become a global superstar. This is the full, honest story of the pioneer — and where its voices are now. Before MTN Hitmaker. Before every Ghanaian talent show you can name — there was one. TV3 Mentor, the first music reality show Ghana ever had: the Sunday nights that stopped a nation, the winners you forgot, and the ones who lost the show but won life. INSIDE THIS ONE: • The Sunday-night ritual that owned a whole country • The first of its kind (2006) — and the night Nigerian comic Klint da Drunk stole the show • The twist almost nobody knows: even the show wasn't born Ghanaian — TV3 itself came from Malaysian roots, and Mentor was modelled on a Malaysian talent show • The roll call of champions: Prince, Erico, Kesse, Akos • The non-winners who blew up anyway — Ruth on Edem's "You Dey Craze," Andy's "Sweetie," Hakeem in Kumawood • The one who got away: a teenage Black Sherif, disqualified on his first audition — before he became a global superstar • The superstar who walked away: before the hits, Becca made it into Mentor season 2 — then withdrew from the show herself • The curse of the crown: two winners who both said the trophy felt hollow • The honest question at its heart: why did the show that started it all struggle to build lasting stars, when the two biggest reality-TV superstars, KiDi and Kuami Eugene, came from a younger show — MTN Hitmaker? • And a proper celebration of the voices it DID give us — from champions like Kesse to every talent that stood on that stage Told with warmth and respect for every voice that ever stood on that stage. Sensitive moments are handled briefly and factually, or left out. CHAPTERS 00:00 Every Sunday evening 00:45 Intro 01:00 Sunday nights: why it owned us 02:40 The first of its kind (2006) + Klint da Drunk 05:40 The roll call: Prince, Erico, Kesse, Akos 09:30 The ones who lost, but won 12:30 The one who got away (Black Sherif) 14:30 The curse of the crown 18:00 Finding vs building (the Hitmaker paradox) 20:00 The celebration: the voices it gave us Who was YOUR favourite Mentor contestant — and where are they now? Tell me in the comments. This film is dedicated to the memory of Adez (Ekua Adadzewa) of Mentor Season 2 — one of the voices behind so much of our music. We finished this the week she passed. Rest well, Adez. 🤍 Subscribe for a new Ghana music backstory every fortnight, told the honest way. SOURCES & FURTHER READING: Black Sherif on failing the TV3 Mentor & MTN Hitmaker auditions (YEN): https://yen.com.gh/entertainment/musi... TV3 Mentor (Wikipedia): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TV3_Mentor Kesse (Wikipedia): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kesse_(...) Akos: "TV3 has not treated me well" (GhanaWeb): https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePag... Where are they now (YEN): https://yen.com.gh/entertainment/2138... Becca withdrew from TV3 Mentor 2; Cee replaced her (GhanaWeb): https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePag... TV3 Ghana's Malaysian roots — founded 1996–97 by TV3 (Malaysia)'s overseas unit (Wikipedia): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TV3_Ghana TV3 (Malaysian TV network) (Wikipedia): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TV3_(Ma...) FOOTAGE & IMAGE CREDITS @akosgh @TV3Ghana @DanielNettey @MillyStone @dawsty007 @thesoarpilot @GhanaNewsTV @salti @GeorgeBright @mikementor4 @DayzEntertainment @PhokusTech #TV3Mentor #BlackSherif #GhanaMusic #KiDi #KuamiEugene #WhereAreTheyNow #Kesse #Mentor #Becca #ProjectFame #TV3