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

Last week the guys set the stage alight with their performances under the theme “the best cover songs” in this 16 th   edition of Idols SA. Last night, it was the ladies’ turn to belt out their renditions as they vied for a spot in the top 10. “The ladies were absolutely magnificent to watch and the stage is being set for one of the best seasons yet in terms of talent,” said Nomsa Philiso, the director of Local Entertainment Channels at M-Net. “I really don’t envy the viewers, because this competition is going to be tight. It will be hard to choose a winner. But, I urge them to vote, vote and vote for their favourite contestants.” Jerodine was first to fight for her place in the top 10 with her rendition of ‘ Giving him something he can feel ’ by En Vogue. The judges were unanimous in their praise, with Randall Abrahams saying her performance was good from the start, and that he could see her growing in the competition. “It was a good place to start,” he said. Unathi Nkayi said it was

Idols SA Season 16 has certainly not being an easy journey for this year's contestants, the guys who make up the top 16 proved they can take the uncertainty and disruption of the lockdown in their stride and bring their best to the stage.   The theme for this past sunday evening was  the best cover songs , and the guys brought on to the stage all the soul and passion they could bring to the stage. With the contestants performing without a live audience, the Idols SA production team introduced fan technology where the judges could, from a press of a button, play a recording of an applause after every performance, while the families of all the eight contestants could cheer their favourites on via a live virtual platform.   “With the first of the live performances now done, it is now up to the viewers to decide who progresses to the top 10,” says Nomsa Philiso, the head of Local Entertainment Channels at M-Net. “All I can say is that it was an exciting day for all us despite the lockd

Finally Idols SA season 16 Top 16 contestants were announced last night. What has been dubbed the final judgement over the years was delivered by the Idols judges, Unathi, Somizi and Randall to 31 hopefuls were all emotionally not ready for the news. While 15 contestants, among them was DJ Zinhle’s favourite Matevhu, found out that it was the end of the road for them, 16 of them were put out of their misery when they were given the news that they will be going ahead for coming weeks to battle it out for the ultimate first prize. It is the reactions for me! The crying, the numbness, the gratitude and the disbelief all at once that makes this part of the competition interesting. “This year’s competition has been an intense one for our contestants with all the changes they had to cope with in theatre week. The fate of the contestants now rests with the viewers at home, as they will rely on your votes to ensure that they make it to the next round, starting with the male contestants this co