Fashioning Modern Africanism

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

By Zeeba Masombuka                                               The views expressed on this article are of the writer, they do not represent the publication. I took a moment to catch up with Idols SA season 17 theatre group performances. Boy oh boy I ended up with mixed views, let's unpack them; I don't know if this [is a] part of the show to crush hopefuls even before they can realise they're top what-what, they're gone. Maybe this is what the show thrives on, but it's not ON. Those contestants sweat short lived like that. NOT CUTE!  I know it's a competition and also a reality show [which means that some things will be exaggerated to revoke a reactio7n]. But for Idols SA the latter seems to be the crux of the show, especially their theatre stages. If that is the case Idols SA must own it. Must own that their show's group stages is a reality hyped up part of the competition. And that would be okay.  The same goes for the judge's meanness. Tjoeeeeee! Yo

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,

The fourth and final day of the judges auditions for season 17 of Idols SA brought with it another day of impressive auditions, peppered with a good dose of humour, tears and nerves.  This means 33 more auditionees from the final day join 75 others as they advance to theatre week, bringing the total number of golden tickets to 108. Joining Randall Abrahams, Unathi Nkayi and Somizi Mhlongo as a guest judge was Zwai Bala. The award-winning singer, producer and director started his day by heading to the piano to give his fellow judges an impromptu, albeit brief performance.   The real fun began with the first audition of the day. While 30-year-old Sizakele “Mr Siza” from Mthatha performed a rendition of Margaret Singana’s  ‘Mama Tembu’s Wedding’  to give judges an upbeat start to the day, his journey to fame ended before it could even start as he couldn’t clinch the coveted golden ticket to theatre week.   Read about tears of joy and balloons on stage as idols hopefuls audition for a spot

Day three of auditions for SA Idols season 17 brought yet another week of tears of joy and disappointment. In addition, there were plenty of laughs and birthday balloons on stage as the judges sifted the good from the bad, paving the way for dreams of stardom to come true. This week’s guest judge was one of South Africa’s greatest talents, Ringo Madlingozi. He took a day off from the world of politics and Parliament to help select the best singing talent South Africa has to offer. For Randall Abrahams, Somizi Mhlongo and Unathi Nkayi, the day brought with it some pleasant surprises as they – assisted by Ringo –  dished out 24 golden tickets. The day may have started with a no as 22-year-old Karabo Mogola from Pretoria failed to make the cut. However, there were plenty of golden tickets, with several Idols hopefuls managing to secure a full house of nods. Twenty-two-year-old Katiso “Kat” from Johannesburg rolled in with his roller skates and falsetto to clinch the first golden ticket of

It continued to rain gold on day two of Idols SA season 17 auditions, with 31 entrants securing that all-important golden ticket to theatre week. Unfortunately, for the many others selected to appear before the judges – the dream ended far too soon and they will be watching the show on TV like the rest of Mzansi. This week, judges Randall Abrahams, Somizi Mhlongo-Motaung and Unathi Nkayi were joined by a new guest judge, award-winning gospel artist Ntokozo Mbambo, as they weeded out the good from the bad and downright scary. The first golden ticket winner was 16 year-old Zukisa from Pietermaritzburg in KwaZulu-Natal, who felt he had something unique to put out there, which was not yet out there. After his rendition of Ami Faku’s  Ubuhle Bakho , Unathi said his audition was beautiful. “Your voice is rich, your range is wide, your delivery is sincere, what else should I want?” An overwhelmed Zukisa garnered enough votes to get a golden ticket with a hope of following in the footsteps of

Season 17 premiered on Sunday 11 July 2021 with guest judge Prince KayBee joining the Idols SA judges, Randall Abrahams, Somizi Mhlongo and Unathi Nkayi for the first judges’ auditions. The show’s host and co-executive producer, Proverb was also present to ensure that the contestants gave us feedback about their auditions.  Linathi was the first aspirant to take centre stage. Through her beautiful audition, the show was off to a great start. We got the first four yeses and first golden ticket of the judges' auditions.  Golden tickets were dished out, and more contestants marked a spot for themselves to attend Theatre Week.  After some positive auditions, things started to take a different turn.  It surely would not have been a complete show without Somgaga dishing out words from his personal and unique dictionary. He used unfamiliar words such a "phelled" or "bedanger" There was also 30-year-old Berry, who is a second time lucky contestant. She made it to the to

  Idols SA 2021 will have a completely different composition for season 17 auditions. The current status quo does not allow us to do things the traditional way. Therefore, to keep up with the spirit of staying apart so we can be together again, the Idols auditions this year will deviate from the culture of hosting auditions in four big cities, namely Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban and Cape Town.  For season 17, there is a positive aspect in the restrictions that come with Covid-19. All eligible hopefuls from all corners of our country can enter without worrying about getting to the audition's venue. However, there will be strict rules to adhere to in order to have a successful submission for the SA Idols online auditions. The video must be 30 seconds long of just singing. All other information will have a part where it is catered for on the entry. It is important for the participants to prepare their 30-second-long clip and all the relevant information before they log on to submit 

First in line Talk about dedication and passion; Lungisani Mthethwa started queuing up Friday at 09h00 for Saturday’s audition. He is a 21-year-old from Kwa-Mbonambi in Richard’s Bay. In Season 15 of Idols SA he was fourth in line and today he managed to be the first in line for this season. The late Thami Shobede was his vocal coach as well his inspiration. “Thami kept on pushing me to do more and stay focused so that I can make it in the music industry” Lungisani said. He does a lot of video performances online and has thousands of views on his social media platforms. Lungisani is better known as Mr Bruce Music. The vibrant and cheerful Claydene Morrow is currently studying beauty therapy. Being born and raised in the Eastern Cape (Umtata), the 20-year-old feels it’s time that the world gets to see her talent. She has always been hesitant to enter and this time her mother who happens to be her biggest inspiration motivated her to give it a try and see what will come

The sun was out and so are Idols hopefuls. Pretoria is vibrant and oozing personality and pizazz. First in line is Dumisile Mchunu pictured above. She is inspired by her two boys to give it a try on a quest of being the next Mzansi’s Idol. “I want my 5-year-old and 1-year-old to see me on TV and be proud of their mom. The 29 year old works in a paralegal firm and this is her last opportunity to audition as she turns 30, currently based in Pretoria she hails all the way from Estcourt in Kwazulu-Natal. Dumisile started queuing from Friday at 22h00. Aviwe Sono is a 25-year-old young man with soul. It is his second time auditioning for Idols and says, “I’m here to express my musical ability and I will let the judges decide if I’m what they are looking for or not.” Aviwe is into reggae music, jazz and soul. He enjoys listening to Bob Marley. Anything soulful Aviwe is your man. He is an only child and is from Centurion. He finished his multimedia studies in 2018 at the TUT arts