Fashioning Modern Africanism

After two weeks of stellar performances from the top 12 and over 7.5 million viewer votes garnered, the   Idols SA   season 18 top 10 has been decided. They are: CeeJay, Kabelo, Lerato, Mpilwenhle, Noxolo, Nozi, Tesmin-Robyn, Thapelo, Ty Loner, and Zee.  Na rrowly missing out were Hope and Nandi.   Opening the live show was Mpilwenhle performing Amanda Black’s hit   Kahle , to unanimous praise from the judges. Somizi Mhlongo said: “You are living your name: impilo yinhle. You deserve to be where you are.”   JR Bogopa added: “Clearly, South Africa did not make a mistake. You were born for that stage.”   Next to be announced was Thapelo, who sang Celine Dion’s classic   All By Myself . The judges were happy with his performance, with Thembi Seete saying: “I know why Mzansi is falling in love with you – it’s because you are yourself. The approach you took to the song was perfect for you.”   Tesmin-Robyn sang Moneoa’s   More Than You , getting a lukewarm response from the judges. Somizi ca

Taking place at   Idols SA ’s new home, Tshwane’s Heartfelt Arena, it was the competition’s first live show in front of a full house since the pandemic began – with over 2,300 people in the audience. The first voting show of the season also featured collaborations between contestants and some of the biggest stars in the music industry.    "It feels good to be back!” said host ProVerb as he introduced the first live show of Idols SA season 18, and – with electrifying performances that saw six of the top 12 take to the stage – he was on the money. Kicking things off was this season’s youngest singer, 18-year-old Zee, who performed a duet with Kelly Khumalo on her soaring hit  Empini . For her solo act, Zee sang the sexy  Surprise  by Chlöe. All three judges praised her solo performance, with Thembi Seete calling Zee’s delivery “beautiful”. While both JR Bogopa and Somizi Mhlongo also applauded her, Somizi felt that the teenager was intimidated by singing with a star the calibre of K

There is a new twist in this year’s search for the next  Idols SA  winner – season 18’s live performances will kick off with 12 contestants vying for the top spot as opposed to the usual top 10. This is following a pressure-filled and gruelling few weeks for contestants, who have made it through the famously tough theatre week The top 12 were announced in tonight’s episode, a two-hour show that showcased the highly impressive top 32 performances – evidence of the tough competition contestants faced. Making it even tougher was the surprise reveal that, instead of the traditional top 16 at this stage of the show, this year’s competition would cut the number down to 12, who would then perform in the live shows starting next week.  The judges – Somizi Mhlongo, Thembi Seete and JR Bogopa – have done their bit: from Sunday 28 August, it’s in viewers’ hands, where votes will determine who stays and who goes home. Without further ado, here are the top 12 contestants for  Idols SA  season 18. C

Idols SA season 17-theatre week has ended and the cream has risen to the top. This week, viewers saw the first of a two-part episode in which the judges concluded their job of choosing the first eight of the top 16 finalists. It was a tense final judgment day for the 30 remaining Idols SA hopefuls, who delivered their final solo auditions in front of a carefully selected audience. “The final audition was tough on the contestants and we had to eliminate some very good singers. Their only downfall was buckling under the pressure of the competition. Selecting the top 16 was a brutal affair, but we have selected an exceptional group of singers and they have set a very high standard for themselves,” Said Randall Abrahams. The first to make it to the top 16 was 18-year-old Bulelani, who had sailed through his first two theatre week performances. The judges were impressed with his rendition of   ‘247’   by Mnqobi Yazo. Kevin also made the cut after performing Giveon’s   ‘Stuck on You’ . The 2

In the most brutal day of theatre week history, 66 Idols SA contestants saw their journey to stardom cut short on day one as the judges picked the best from the good. The open audition for season 17 had seen more than 100 Idols hopefuls make it to theatre week, but the jubilation was short-lived as the pressure took its toll on the contestants. Judges Randall Abrahams, Somizi Mhlongo and Unathi Nkayi made it clear that lukewarm performances were not going be tolerated. Day one of theatre week comprised of chorus line auditions accompanied by a pianist, with the Idols hopefuls divided according to the song they had selected. The audition songs included Kelly Khumalo’s  ‘Uthando’  and Amanda Black’s  ‘Separate’ . “Too many people forgot their lyrics and the arrangement of the song,” said Unathi, reflecting on day one of theatre week’s performances. Randall was equally disappointed. He said, “One song, that is all everyone had to learn and yet so many of them failed. If you fail at that,