Solitude, winner of the just concluded Diamond Bank #youneedanewbank theme song remix competition has signed a record deal with Major Bangz, producer of the hit tracks “Alobam” and  “Shoki,” as part of his reward for winning the competition. #youneedanewbank is a brand campaign by leading retail bank, Diamond Bank PLC, aimed at promoting the bank as the new model for customer-focused banking in Nigeria.  

The competition which was in two phases – a dance and remix competition – required contestants to send in video entries of original dance or song remix of the TVC campaign while the public voted for their favourite videos.

Entries with the highest number of votes emerged winners and their owners were rewarded with a cash prize of N250,000 for the dance competition and N1.5 million naira and a record deal with Major Bangz in the remix category. Four runners-up were rewarded with cash prizes of N150,000 each.

Speaking during a courtesy visit of the winners to the bank, Ayona Trimnell, Divisional Head, Corporate Communications, Diamond Bank PLC, said the competition is driven by a desire to encourage, support and empower upcoming artistes by providing them opportunities to make their mark in the fast growing Nigerian music industry. 

She said: “Nigeria is abounding in talent and many of the youth are making the country proud through various exploits all around the world. The #youneedanewbank dance and theme song remix competition is Diamond Bank’s way of connecting with the creativity and ambition of the Nigerian youth.

Just like the master brand TVC, it embodies the youthful spirit of not settling for less. We had many interesting entries and Nigerians selected their favourites. We hope that the opportunities offered by this competition will help our winners realize their ambitions and also propel them to be worthy ambassadors of the country, particularly in the area of music.”

Solitude (real name Nnamdi Oluchukwu), an  Asaba-based artiste, emerged winner of the theme song remix competition and went home with a cash prize of N1.5 million as well as a recording deal with celebrity music producer, Major Bangz. The Amazing Crew, an Ilorin, Kwara State based dance group won the dance competition and was rewarded with N250,000.

Solitude, who thanked Diamond Bank for the opportunity to actualise his dreams, said: “I have been a struggling musician for about 8 years. I have participated in many song competitions but #youneedanewbank was a different experience for me as the selection process was very transparent. My friend actually introduced me to the competition and we actively monitored the votes online.”

He added: “Based on my experience, I can confidently tell people that Diamond Bank fulfills its promises as I got everything as promised. My musical career has gotten a huge lift from this competition and I will be dropping my song, produced by Major Bangz, shortly.” 

Speaking on behalf of The Amazing Crew, Tade Davis noted that they were pleasantly surprised to have won the competition.

According to him, “We are mainly students based in Ilorin and logistics is usually a challenge for us in participating for competitions like this. When we learnt of the #youneedanewbank competition we immediately applied; moreso as the entries were going to be uploaded online and selection was through public voting. We are deeply grateful to Diamond Bank for making this competition truly Nigerian in outlook by creating a level playing field for all competitors irrespective of their location.”