5 days ago
This 987 Star finalist is a real-life Nigerian prince
When you think of royalty, you would probably imagine bodyguards, a chauffeur, and maybe even a convoy?
Well, consider slightly disappointed when we didn't notice an entourage tailing behind 987 Star finalist Aligwoekwe Kluivert Chimsomaga.
In fact, the 20-year-old told us his mum dropped him off for this interview.
Guess that's the life of a real-life Nigerian prince living in Singapore.
987 Star is a talent search for, you guessed it, 987's next big thing. The winner will receive S$5,000 in cash and a contract with the Mediacorp radio station.
Going simply as Kluivert (the 'u' is silent), he animatedly launches into story mode when we asked about his… royal status.
'My title hails from a village in the Imohe state of Nigeria where my grandfather is the chief. My dad who is also a prince, is first in line, making me second-in-line to the position,' he said.
Chimsomaga's parents – his mum is Singaporean-Chinese – met and got married in Singapore. They are both in their 50s now.
He is also the second of their four children and the only boy. Like him, his sisters are in school as well.
Chimsomaga, who is also fluent in Mandarin, was born right here in Singapore and studied at Pei Hwa Presbyterian Primary School and Assumption English Secondary School.
He is now a final year Mass Communications student at Ngee Ann Polytechnic.
Thanks to his Nigerian heritage, Chimsomaga naturally stood out in school, often drawing curious stares, and had his fair share of Black Panther jokes.
'They started calling me Prince T'Challa (the real name of Black Panther) after I told them about my title,' he laughed.
However, Chimsomaga who is currently single, said royal responsibilities are not on his to-do list.
'I like my life here and I am Singaporean after all. Honestly, I am more 'Prince of Bukit Panjang' at the moment," he laughed.
In fact, Chimsomaga said he is due to enlist for National Service sometime next year.
Can't get any more Singaporean than that if you ask us.
At press time, we found out that Chimsomaga didn't make it into the top four of 987 Star.
However, he was optimistic during our chat and said he was open to whatever comes his way. He told us he has already started applying for internships, a prerequisite before he can graduate from Ngee Ann Poly.
And yes, Chimsomaga is still applying to be part of 987.
'Even if I don't win, I already went further than I expected. I believe I have that X-factor that sets me apart from the rest of the contestants, and I'll be leveraging on it whether it's on radio or an online personality,' he said.
