Idols SA bid farewell to the talented singer Succedor last night, leaving only 9 contestants still in the running for the ultimate prize. The remaining contestants proved they are in it to win it as they performed under the theme ‘lockdown hits.
Nomsa Philiso, the director of Local Entertainment Channels at M-Net in a statement said seeing a contestant eliminated is not easy. “All of these singers are talented and have potential – but the survival of the remaining contestants is in the hands of the voters, so they need to continue voting to ensure their favourite Idols wannabe remains to the end.” – she said.
The first person to take on the stage “Idols SA” at Pretoria’s State Theatre was Jooma, who sang former “Idols SA” contestant Loyiso Gijana’s hit song “Madoda Sabelani”.
Randall Abrahams commended his vocal abilities, saying that he had so far proven to be a great singer, and this was an uplifting song choice. However, he said, Jooma should consider “changing it up so people can see something slightly different in the future”. Unathi Nkanyi echoed Randall, adding that the science of the Top 10 was what was important at this stage.
Bongi was next, performing “Stand Up” by Cynthia Erivo. Unathi was impressed, saying she gave a beautiful performance, dynamic and powerful, while Somizi said her performance was her way of saying she was in a competition and taking no prisoners.
Zanothando took on Miss Pru Dj’s ‘Price to Pay’ shocking Randall – but for the wrong reasons. “I was so underwhelmed because you are so OTT, but you weren’t OTT on stage … This was the perfect opportunity to absolutely blow it up and go for it,” he said. Unathi said he was a formidable entertainer.
BE took on Ella Mai’s “Boo’d Up”, and while Randall thought it was a great song choice and an equally good performance, Somizi asked what happened to the BE he met at the auditions, saying something was missing and he was still looking for the vocalist who caught his heart.
Ntokozo’s take on Kelly Khumalo’s “Happiness” got her mixed reviews. While Unathi felt her emotions did not match the song in parts, Somizi disagreed, saying she had understood the state of mind of Kelly Khumalo – “She got the brief,” he said. Randall, however, was full of praise. “This was your first real performance because you were committed to it. You were part of the song, giving it meaning,” he said.
Brandon sang Justin Bieber’s “Sorry” and although Somizi and Randall both agreed that vocally he was on point, they were both let down by how restrained he was, given the amount of space he had on stage. But as far as Unathi was concerned, Brandon’s performance was “brilliant and flawless”.
Ndoni’s performance of Amanda Black’s “Ndizele Wena” received raving reviews all round with Unathi saying if she ever got married again, Ndoni must come to the wedding and sing the song exactly the way she had just performed it. “You were perfection in my eyes,” she said.
Zama was another to get great reviews from all three judges with her rendition of Doja Cat’s “Say So”. Randall commended her versatility, saying she had to be an exceptional performer to pull that off.
Closing off the show, Mr Music performed “Into Ingawe” by Ami Faku and Sun-El Musician which got Somizi dancing. He praised the singer for being entertaining.
Next week, another contestant will have to bow out, bringing us closer to the winner.
Main Image: Kas’Lam
