Huge congratulations are in order for Nyla XO, who was crowned winner of this year’s Samsung NXT 2.0 competition. The grand finale took place on Friday, February 17, and saw the three finalists –– Nyla, Julian King, Kyn Rose –– perform in front of a live audience, which included celebrity guest judges Natti Natasha, Eric Nam and Tinashe.
Fans who tuned in via livestream for the finale got a chance to watch it all go down at the El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles. During the event, each of the finalists’ mentorship documents premiered, showing how contenders got a chance to meet with a special mentor –– each of whom was responsible for announcing a new challenge at some point in the competition. Julian King was paired up with Mariah Angeliq, Kyn Rose spoke with BIBI, and Nyla XO flew out to see Flo Milli.
All throughout the competition, the contestants have relied on their Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4, Galaxy Buds2 Pro, and their Galaxy Watch5 to help them complete their challenges, and meeting up with their mentors proved no exception.
Scroll on to check out some highlights from each of the finalists’ mentor sessions.
Nyla XO x Flo Milli
Before flying to Atlanta to meet up with rapper Flo Milli, Nyla XO expressed her concerns about performing as a solo artist, saying, “I’ve performed on some stages, but it’s been in the background playing keys or background vocals, so I think there’s a different element of pressure and also responsibility as an artist to what you are going to give the people.”
But Flo Milli –– who studied her mentee’s video before the two met –– assured Nyla she had nothing to worry about.
“I can already tell, you are a GOAT,” she said. “You’re about to go on the stage and do what you need to do.”
After taking some selfies together with Nyla’s Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4, Flo Milli also told Nyla to never let anyone make her feel small, no matter where she is in her career: “You’re gonna have some cities that don’t know who you are. It’s all about not letting that affect you and keeping the same energy you started with. Never let them see whatever you’re thinking. Don’t let nobody make you feel inferior.”
Congratulations again to Samsung NXT 2.0 winner, Nyla XO, who is going to land on the cover of a special digital issue of Billboard, a meeting with a record label, funding for a music video, and tickets to the 2023 Billboard Music Awards.
Julian King x Mariah Angeliq
Julian King flew down to Miami to get some one-on-one coaching from his mentor, reggaeton star Mariah Angeliq. But before meeting up with her, the Philadelphia-based artist reflected on his journey thus far and the impact he’s made on others.
“I know that me being me has been an inspiration to other people, especially within my communities,” he said. “And now I carry that with pride.”
After shooting a quick video on his Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4, Julian met up with his mentor, and the two hit it off, taking selfies poolside and speaking openly about the upcoming finale.
Angeliq advised the finalist to surround himself with support. “As long as you have the right energy around you, you’re always gonna feel good, and having that support is everything,” she said. “You need to be around those people that make you believe in yourself.”
“Just be you,” she told him. “The rest will fall into place.”
Kyn Rose x BIBI
Before jumping on a video call using his Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4 with Kpop star BIBI, Kyn Rose opened up about the finale, and what he hopes to convey to those watching: “Samsung NXT 2.0 is such a huge opportunity that I mainly just want to send everyone home with the thought of, ‘That Kyn Rose dude is something else, and I’m really interested.’ It’s just a bunch of people in a room that I just want to capture and have a moment with, is really the big thing in my head.”
Moments later, BIBI expressed a similar feeling, telling Kyn she always wants fans to walk away from her performances still buzzing, well into the next morning: “I just go up there and I want to entertain everybody. I want them to wake up happily tomorrow and go to work and just talk about, ‘Oh yeah, I went to her concert. I went to the performance, it was fun, I had a lot of fun, I just want to listen to that.’ That’s my goal.”
BIBI also advised Kyn to give the grand finale performance his all, saying, “If you don’t rock the stage right now, you might have no chance anymore. I always have that in my mind.”