With only four weeks left until the finale, the five remaining “Idols SA” contestants set the stage on fire, with each singer receiving great reviews from the judges.
Karabo, Daylin Sass, Kevin, Berry and S’22Kile each tackled two songs, the first song being a stripped-down version of any of Mzansi’s best hit songs – reducing the song to its bare essence in line with the unplugged theme and with the second, choosing an OTT song of an artist who is part of – or are allies of – the LGBTQI+ community.
The musos teamed up with the powerful Mzansi Gay Choir, who have become regulars on the show, adding to the fabulosity of the second performances with choreography and their beautiful voices.
Unfortunately, it was Nqobie this past Sunday who took her final bow on the show before she could even showcase her prepared songs. But with only one guaranteed winner’s spot, the show must go on.
Actor and all-round entertainer Khaya Dladla joined Randall and Unathi as the guest judge of the night, and the three did not hold back on their praises or advice.
Karabo was the first on stage, giving her stripped-down version of Amanda Black’s “Thandwa Ndim”, with Unathi describing it as incredibly powerful, while her second performance of Tina Turner’s “River Deep Mountain High” gained her mixed reviews.
Randall thought her singing was amazing but that it was her lack of movement that made him focus on the choir members, who gave more of a performance.
Unathi, on the other hand, thought her attempt was great as she was taken out of her comfort zone, a compliment echoed by Khaya.
Daylin Sass gave a smooth stripped-down rendition of Liquideep’s “Fairytale”, dubbed as ‘good’ by Randall and the other judges.
With his second performance, Daylin came out in heels singing “Whataya Want From Me” by Adam Lambert, also leaving Randall somewhat wanting more from the performance.
Another, whose second take did not land very well with Randall, was S’22Kile’s take on Rihanna’s “Love On The Brain”, with Randall saying he saw a lot of Rihanna and nothing that resembled S’22Kile.
Proverb quickly jumped to her defence, saying the brief was to “embody” the singer and with Randall’s comment, S’22Kile ‘understood the assignment’.
Her first performance of Bucie’s “Easy to Love” struck gold with the judges, with both Randall and Unathi saying it was her best performance to date and Khaya calling her “precious”.
Berry received rave reviews for both her performances, being told she was the complete package and overflowing with talent after she sang Craig Lucas’s “Happy” and Lady Gaga’s “Edge of Glory”.
Randall praised her song choice while the other two judges labelled her as “phenomenal”.
It was Kevin’s consistent growth that got Randall showering him with praises and got Unathi in tears last night, as the most promising contestant that keeps growing, and getting stronger, week in and week out.
Kevin’s first performance of “Mnike” by Afrotraction got Khaya calling him a superstar, while Unathi remarked there was nothing negative she could say about his phenomenal performance.
His second, that even got the crowds up in a roar, taking on George Michael’s “As” that features Mary J Blige, with Randall commenting that he got the most difficult song tonight of two singers but that he could even hear him transitioning between the two singers, which was good.
Khaya was ready to declare Kevin an Idol, while Randall said it was a great performance.
All Unathi could do was express her happiness for him.
“We have seen them grow and improve week by week, and we are proud to see their talent continue to blossom.
“At this stage of the competition, we are confident that all of them are going to make it big in the music industry, and it is humbling to have witnessed their journey from hopeful stars to performers in their own right,” she said.