Tonight, the judges were looking for no less than 100% perfection from the top eight in tonight’s season 17 Idols performances, with former contestant Lloyiso providing a worthy example to emulate.
The Idols Alumnus opened the stage with his latest hit, ‘Seasons’ demonstrating just how far talent can take you even if you don’t win the competition – which could offer Monique, who was eliminated from the competition, some comfort as her Idols journey ends. Over five million votes were cast this week.
Karabo, Nqobie and S’22Kile lived up the judges’ expectations, with all of them receiving full marks for their performances.
Karabo performed US Idols season 3 winner Fantasia’s ‘When I See U’. “You do it again and again and again; you don’t leave anything unturned,” Unathi said, while guest judge Dineo Ranaka declared the stage was too small for her. “I love your confidence – I am sold,” she said. Randall echoed this, saying Karabo held nothing back. “Right out of the gate, you came out storming…very well done,” he said.
Randall was just as impressed with Nqobie’s performance of Soa Mattrix and Soulful G’s ‘Uthando’, remarking that he loved her quiet cool, adding she never has to try too hard. “I have never seen someone like you on this show before,” he said. This was echoed by Dineo, who said she loved the strength Nqobie gave to the song. Unathi said the performance was amazing, but urged her to let go a bit more.
S’22kile sang ‘Xola Moya Wam' by Nomcebo Zikode, a performance which won over all the judges. Dineo said she had the x-factor, while Randall said it was her best performance so far. Unathi said her performance was both beautiful and powerful.
However, Sia Mzizi (who sang Lloyiso’s ‘Dream About You’) and Daylin Sass (who sang Justin Bieber’s ‘Yummy’) fell just short of that 100%, according to judges, who gave mixed reviews of both performances.
The judges were, however, in agreement about Bulelani’s performance of ‘Uyeke’ by Heavy K featuring Natalia Mabaso. They all urged him to get the negativity out of his head and embrace his talent. Berry, who performed ‘Blinding Lights’ by The Weeknd, elicited mixed reactions, with Randall saying her performance was not authentic, while Unathi and Dineo felt she had nailed the song.
Fortunately, for the judges, the last contestant of the evening, Kevin, closed off the evening with an A+ performance. His rendition of Teni’s ‘Case’ bowled everyone over. “You are just amazing to watch,” Unathi said, adding that he was like melted gold – “Africa’s finest resource,” she said – while Dineo declared he was a star. Randall said he had done an exceptional job of finding his own style.
The competition continues next week, as viewers vote for their top 7.
Watch Idols South Africa every Sunday on Mzansi Magic (DStv channel 161) from 17:00.
