“The ladies were absolutely magnificent tonight 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 Jerodine’s best performance yet, calling it immaculate, while Somizi Mhlongo-Motaung called her a powerhouse.
Melanin was next with Anna Kendrick’s, ‘True Colours’, with the Judges all delighted with the performance. Unathi said the show demonstrated to her how delicate and caring Melanin was. “You nailed the emotion,” she said. Both Somizi and Randall said she sounded like herself and did not try to sound like Anna.
Bongi decided to show off her big voice with her rendition of Whitney’s 1992 hit, “All the Man that I Need.” Her shaky start was brushed off by the Judges, with Somizi saying: “You look like the queen you are supposed to be,” adding there were parts of the song he liked. Randall said she had a powerful voice, but edged a little to close to being like Whitney. Unathi remarked she had a phenomenal voice.
Ndoni’s rendition of Tracey Chapman’s, 1988 folk-rock smash hit, ‘Fast Car’ was met with mixed feedback with Randall saying she took too many liberties with the phrasing. Somizi, however, gave her a Whooshem! Unathi urged her to surprise the viewers with unlikely song choices. “I enjoyed what you did,” she added.
Dee’s cover of ‘Rolling in the deep’ by Adele was met with a warm reception, with Unathi calling her performance a “commendable attempt”. Somizi said it was beautiful to watch her perform. Randall mentioned he liked her, giving a little sage advice on how to make a song her own.
Somizi called Be’s performance of ‘How Come You Don’t Call Me?’ by Alicia Keys "amazing", giving her a 10 out 10 for self-esteem. Randall responded by saying: “This competition is going to be tight.” Unathi said she was captivated by her performance.
The performance of the night, however, seemed to be Ntokozo, whose rendition of Etta James', ‘I’d Rather Go Blind’ moved Somizi to his feet and Unathi to tears. “It was the most complete performance of the night,” Randall said, while Somizi said she had built the song like a pyramid – “The emotional side of the song was super,” he concluded.
Rounding off a night of some superb performances was Zama with Tori Kelly’s version of the Seal hit, ‘Crazy’. Unathi was inspired by Zama, while Somizi mused that modesty suited her, saying it was a lovely performance. Randall said he liked her performance, though advised that it would have been nice to see “a little change of attitude” during the course of the performance.
While voting for the male contestants is now closed, viewers have up until 22:00 on Tuesday to which to DECIDE which of these eight ladies moves to the Top 10.
Season 16 of Idols SA broadcasts on Sundays at 17:00 on Mzansi Magic Channel 161. Get exclusive updates and a behind the scenes look at all the action right here on our site. Don't forget to join the conversation by following us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #IdolsSA.