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The countdown has begun, there are only three weeks to go before the fans anoint their new Idol, and there are only four competitors left doing battle for South Africa’s most prestigious music title, so the pressure is on!
In tonight’s Top 4 Spectacular at the Moreleta Park Church Auditorium in Pretoria each contestant performed two songs from two different musical themes: “Gone To Soon” for the first round, with songs from musical heroes who left this world before their time, and “Hits From October 2013” for the second round. And then they also performed two duets, for which they could choose songs from any era.
This week the Top 4 prepared for their Spectacular under the expert tutelage of South African superstar Zonke, and they were accompanied in their performances by the famous South African electro-string quartet Sterling EQ.
The only woman still left in the competition, 19-year-old ZOË ZANA from Bishop Lavis in Cape Town, sang her second Michael Jackson hit of this competition for the first round: “Rock With You”, from his 1979 “Off The Wall” album, and her 2013 hit was a tearful performance of the Miley Cyrus mega-hit “Wrecking Ball”. Idols judge Gareth Cliff admitted to a tearful Zoë that “Wrecking Ball” is a very powerful song and that this is the stage of the competition where emotions are running high, “but I have to tell you for your own good, that was not good,” he said. “I liked her Michael Jackson, I really did,” he remarked to a protesting Unathi Msengana. “But this is a hard song to sing – it didn’t meet the mark.” But Unathi disagreed – she appreciated how Zoë tapped into her emotions for that performance. “’Rock With You’ I loved,” she added, calling it playful and sultry. Randall Abrahams commented that certain songs are already perfect and don’t need to be covered, and “Rock With You” is one of those songs. But even though he agreed with Gareth about the performance, he thought “Wrecking Ball” would get Zoë through to the next round because it’s such a big song right now. To vote for Zoë, SMS the number 05 to 37400. [R1.50 per text] or vote online via mobile or web at mnet.co.za/idolssa, for free. Fans can also vote on Mxit [25 moola]. Follow Zoë on Twitter @zoe_zana
SONKE MAZIBUKO (21) from Soweto chose a famous cover of the great American classic, “A Song For You” by the late, great jazz and blues vocalist Donny Hathaway for his first round song, and Céline Dion’s “Love Me Back To Life” for his current hit, of which Gareth predictably disapproved. “This is a supremely bad song choice,” he grumbled. Both Randall and Unathi thought that Sonke is too young to perform “A Song For You” properly, and the Céline song “might well be the death-knell for you,” Randall predicted. “It’s really not a good week for you,” he complained. To vote for Sonke, SMS the number 06 to 37400. [R1.50 per text] or vote online via mobile or web at mnet.co.za/idolssa, for free. Fans can also vote on Mxit [25 moola]. Follow Sonke on Twitter at the handle @sonke_mazibuko
MUSA SUKWENE (26) from eMalahleni chose Bob Marley’s immortal “Redemption Song” for his Gone To Soon song and for his 2013 hit he selected India.Arie’s “Thy Will Be Done”. “I love the ‘ragga thing’ you’ve got going on!” Gareth said approvingly. Gareth confided that his grandmother was from Jamaica and how much he loves Bob Marley, and he thought that Musa did a very good performance of that classic song. “The night belongs to you, my friend,” he concluded. Unathi thought Musa’s performance of “Redemption Song” was totally disarming. Randall didn’t think the India.Arie number was Musa’s best song choice but he didn’t think that it would matter, because “Redemption Song” was that pivotal song in the competition that would make people want to vote for him. To vote for Musa, SMS the number 09 to 37400. [R1.50 per text] or vote online via mobile or web at mnet.co.za/idolssa, for free. Fans can also vote on Mxit [25 moola]. Follow Musa on Twitter @musathevoice
BRENDEN LEDWABA (19) from Graskop in Mpumalanga also paid tribute to the late Bob Marley in round one with “Could You Be Loved” and his 2013 song was John Legend’s latest hit, “All Of Me”, which Legend dedicated to his brand new wife, supermodel Chrissie Teigen. That performance earned Brenden a standing ovation and even Gareth seemed moved. “Somewhere in all the craziness of this Top 4 I think you had a stroke of genius when you sat down and you said ‘take away all of that stuff, leave me alone at that piano and let me do what I do’,” he said approvingly. Unathi agreed that Brenden’s stripped-down approach with that song made the fans nostalgic for his very first audition performance. Randall thought that Brenden could have gone for some of the high notes in the Bob Marley song – “it got stuck in the same register”, he grumbled, but he thought Brenden’s second performance was a “really special television moment”. To vote for Brenden, SMS the number 01 to 37400. [R1.50 per text] or vote online via mobile or web at mnet.co.za/idolssa, for free. Fans can also vote on Mxit [25 moola]. Follow Brenden on Twitter @brenden_praise
For the first duet of the evening Zoë and Sonke teamed up to perform the ballad “When I First Saw You”, from the musical “Dreamgirls”, as sung by Jamie Foxx and Beyoncé in the movie version. Gareth thought they both gave an excellent performance. “That was such a touching performance,” said an impressed Unathi. She praised the maturity and delicacy with which they handled the song, but Randall complained that Zoë’s pacing and pitching was “off”.
Musa and Brenden covered R. Kelly and Usher’s “Same Girl” in their duet and Gareth thought it was much better than Zoë and Sonke’s duet. “Cool as can be!” Unathi raved. “The duet really worked well for you,” Randall agreed.
Voting for the Top 4 opened at the start of tonight’s show and will close on Monday night, 11 November, at 22:00. And on Tuesday, 12 November, fans will have to bid farewell to yet another contestant as the show counts down to the big Finalé on Tuesday, 26 November.
To stay on top of the latest Idols SA news and to find out how the voting works, visit the Idols website at www.mnet.co.za/Idols or go to the official Facebook page at “Idols South Africa”, or follow Idols on Twitter @IdolsSA.
Idols SA is a co-production between M-Net and Mzansi Magic and comes your way twice a week: on Sundays at 17:30 and Tuesdays at 19:30.