Fashioning Modern Africanism

The Gents had a tough act to follow after the ladies last week, but were up to the task The second live show of  Idols SA  season 19 saw the men of the top 12 throw their hats in the ring for a place in the final-ever top 10. Just like their female counterparts did last week, the guys collaborated with former  Idols SA  winners and finalists for stunning duets. Five guys and five girls will make up the top 10 being announced next week, chosen entirely by viewers’ votes. First to take the Mosaïek Teatro stage was Thando, who teamed up with season 11 winner Karabo to sing his track  Khakhati . His solo showing was Kaylow’s  Noma . JR Bogopa and Somizi Mhlongo commented that it was a “good way to start the show”, with the latter saying: “You are one of the best vocalists in this competition.” Next up was Faith, whose duet with season 14 winner Yanga was Hillsong’s  So Will I . His solo song was Bhudaza’s  Tjontjobina , earning praise from all judges. Thembi declared: “Take me to church ri

The ladies performed duets with high-profile past contestants and winners for a killer show High emotion, higher notes and blockbuster duets: that’s how the first live show of  Idols SA  season 19 kicked off. The six ladies who are part of the top 12 set the stage ablaze, performing at the Mosaïek Teatro in Johannesburg in front of a spirited 2 500-strong audience.   With their fate now entirely in viewers’ hands, the performers sang their hearts out for precious votes by teaming up with former  Idols SA  winners and finalists, before going at it alone.   Kicking things off was Lungile, who collaborated with season 14 winner Yanga on  Not Yet Uhuru  by Letta Mbulu. Her solo performance was a rendition of Lloyiso and Langa Mavuso’s  Inhliziyo . Thembi Seete called Lungile’s performance “a powerful way to start the show”, while Somizi Mhlongo said: “You were quite nervous in your first song, but your second one redeemed you to the core. Now I am going to remember you.”   Next up was Niik

Tapping into music their parents grew up listening to, the  Idols SA  season 18 top 8 took us on a dazzling trip down memory lane with some of the world’s greatest hits from artists such as The Beatles, Luther Vandross and Mariah Carey.    With over 7 million votes this week, Mzansi decided that their top 8 was: Nozi, CeeJay, Zee, Kabelo, Ty Loner, Thapelo, Mpilo and Noxolo. Sadly, Tesmin-Robyn’s  Idols SA  journey came to an end.    The show started off with an electrifying group performance paying tribute to kwaito legends TKZee. The top 8 had the Heartfelt Arena on their feet with an upbeat medley of  Dlala Mapantsula, Phala Fala, Fiasco  and  Shibobo .    Amapiano sensation Pabi Cooper kept the momentum going with an energetic performance of  Banyana ke bafana  and  Waga Bietjie .    Starting off was Nozi, who delivered Roberta Flack’s  The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face  — this was her father’s high school crush.    Somizi Mhlongo, who gave Nozi a standing ovation, said: “There’s

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

The show opened with the top four being paired with four of South Africa’s gospel greats for some spiritually uplifting performances that bowled over the judges. ZanoThando was first with a duet with Dr Rebecca Malope. The performance injected a huge dose of energy as they belted out Rebecca’s hit,  ‘Ngegazi Lemvana’.  Randall Abrahams gave ZanoThando the thumbs up, saying the performance proved last week was not a fluke. “You did really well on  ‘Angelina’  last week and … you really did well on this,” he  said. Both Unathi Nkayi and Somizi Mhlongo-Motaung were in agreement, with Unathi adding that the judges had been hard on him over the weeks because they had seen his potential. Unfortunately, though, ZanoThando bowed out of the competition, having failed to gain enough of the 21 million votes cast to guarantee him a spot in the top three. Brandon was paired with Benjamin Dube in a performance of ‘ El-Shaddai Adonai’   that Randall described using words once used for American music

Last night’s top four Idols SA hopefuls showed that   local is   lekker   as they tried to win the hearts and votes of their fans that they have what it takes to be the next South African idol. The contestants paid homage to the music stable that might just be their home if they win the competition –  Kalawa Jazmee – and performed songs by artists who have been part of the record label over the years. The second half of the show featured a favourite from last year – The Mzansi Gay Choir. Having said goodbye to Ndoni, who did not manage to win enough votes to make it into the top four, the remaining contestants pulled off a spectacular show, displaying just how badly they want to advance to the next stage. ZanoThando opened the evening’s performances on a high note, receiving all round praises for his first performance –  ‘Via Orlando’  by DJ Vetkuk vs Mahoota featuring Dr Malinga. Randall Abrahams commended him for the brilliant song choice, which allowed him to focus on his strengths.