Precious Mac, the first runner-up of the eighth edition of Nigerian Idol, Precious Mac, tells TOFARATI IGE about her time on the show and what’s next for her
Now that you have emerged as the first runner-up of Nigerian Idol, what’s next for you?
I am very intentional about the things I do and I love, so I am definitely sure that fans will enjoy an amazing journey with me in terms of music, my lifestyle and everything about me. I won’t just be making music, I am creating a brand. I believe that the horizon is wide, and I can do anything I set my mind to. I know where I am coming from, and I am sure it will be an amazing journey for my fans. I believe that everybody who meets me and knows me would love to go on this journey with me.
You had released some songs before you took part in the show. How is your art going to evolve from now?
I am definitely going to be doing more than I have ever done. I intend to release a new song for my fans soon. I have been working on songs, and I can tell my fans that something is coming soon.
What is the most important lesson you learnt during the show?
One of the biggest lessons I learnt is that there will always be somebody better. The most important thing is to different from everybody else, and stand out.
What did being on the show teach you about collaborations?
If one wants to collaborate, one has to be sure that the other person’s music compliment one’s own. Every artiste has the type of messages they pass with their music. As for me, I like to keep my music clean and simple, so you might not find me collaborating with someone like Cardi B (American rapper) for example. If I would collaborate with anybody, they have to be adding something positive to my sound, and be in consonance with my message.
At what age did you start doing music?
I started singing at the age of eight. I used to be in the children choir, and whenever we had ministrations, I would be in the front. I was really small, and people would I looked so cute and could sing.
However, in my family, I seemed to be the least talented, but my father always encouraged me. He used to sing and plays the guitar. He provided a lot of guidance for us while we were growing up.
My mum was also fully in support of our careers. They just insisted that no matter how much we wanted to do music full-time, we had to complete our education.
However, I think I really started to take music seriously when I was 14 years old. That was when I took my part in my first ever music competition. And from then on, I knew that was what I wanted to do.
I was meant to study Nursing, but I realised that I loved music more; and my parents respected and supported my decision.
Your family is music-oriented, and you have siblings who are professional singers. In what ways did that influence your artistic journey?
It has really impacted my musical journey because my sisters are particular about perfection. Whenever I am working on a song, I ask for their input. So far so good, their inputs have really helped my music and performances.
Did any of your siblings give you any particular tip that helped you on the show?
I would not exactly call it a tip. All my sisters are amazing, and sometimes, I ask myself if I can even sing.
There is one of them I literally look up to when it comes to performances. I actually don’t want to replicate what she is doing, but I want to take a lot from that and put it into myself and then mix that with what I have.
During the competition, who did you think would emerge the winner?
Every contestant on the show was amazing, and they all deserved to win. However, if I was to pick anybody, it would be Victory.
There were times he would say a particular song or genre was difficult for him, but he would get on the stage and blow everybody’s minds.
I have also learnt that relationships are really important in life, and no matter how big one is, one needs people. Growth is a consistent and never-ending process.
Are you under any form of pressure because of what your siblings have achieved in music?
For me, there are two sides. Yes, it put me under so much pressure (when I was on the show), because I had to represent the family.
Also, I was encouraged because I knew I came from a lineage of amazing people. It is beautiful knowing that I have people I can look up to, especially because they have walked this same path, and they did really well.
What was the most challenging part of the competition for you?
The most challenging point was standing on that stage for the weekly performance, and knowing that one could go home the next minute. That was quite tough.
How many followers do you have on social media now?
I really did not have many followers when I was going for the show. I had about 7,000 of them, so I was struggling to get to 10,000. However, after my last performance during theatre week, I really trended on TikTok. Meanwhile, before then, I did not have a single follower on the app. But, after that particular performance, my followership there skyrocketed. After the finals, I had about 20,000 followers.
Which artiste would you like to collaborate with?
They include Tems, Davido and Victory Gbakara.
