The new season of Idols SA features some strong contenders from the Eastern Cape. Even though the four Idols judges did not visit the province again this year, ten highly talented singers living in the province wowed Randall, Unathi, Gareth and new judge Somizi at the auditions held in Pretoria, Johannesburg and Cape Town. In addition, some singers with Eastern Cape connections will also be heading off to Theatre Week at Sun City.
Four of these Golden Ticket winners received the judges' nod of approval at the Johannesburg auditions, courtesy of M-Net and Algoa FM after the radio station once again provided and opportunity for singers from the province to become part of the Idols experience with their own pre-lim auditions. "Algoa FM has been absolutely fantastic in helping us find amazing singers," says M-Net's Head of Publicity, Lani Lombard. "The development of local talent is evidently a priority for the station which has been involved with Idols in this way for a couple of years now. But this year the standard of singing from the Algoa FM search was exceptionally high. This is the first time all the contestants put forward by Algoa FM received Golden Tickets. "
These Golden Ticket winners are Loyiso Gijana (16) from Uitenhage, Daniel Minnie (19) from Port Elizabeth, Alton Zakay (23) from Port Elizabeth and Eugene Lucas (27) from Port Elizabeth. Both Loyiso and Daniel received an unanimous yes from the judges.
Another contestant from Port Elizabeth who fared extremely well is all-rounder Emma Ellis. Not only did she receive four yeses; she also happens to be the first female rugby player ever to get onto the Idols bus to Sun City. Emma auditioned in Cape Town, where Anelisa Motuang (24) and Earl Deetlefs (26) also received the good news.
At the Durban auditions, Amanda Antony (20) was the first contestant of the day to nab a ticket. Unathi surprised Amanda with a special pass to Sun City two seasons ago when Algoa FM's finalists performed at an event at the Boardwalk Casino and Entertainment World. Unfortunately, she then succumbed to the pressure of Idols SA's notorious "Hell Week' at Sun City. Amanda now studies in PE, but was born in Butterworth – incidentally also the home town of medical doctor Mandla Bacela (29), one of the stars at the Durban auditions.
The tenth Eastern Cape contestant is Msawenkosi Mahlangu (29) from Matatiele. "KZN and the Eastern Cape might be at loggerheads about this exceptional young fellow, "says Lombard. "Apart from the fact that we initially counted Msa among the Durban contestants, not taking into consideration that the Matatiele municipality was moved from falling under the Kwa-Zulu Natal province to Eastern Cape a couple of years ago, he also studied music at Durban's BAT Centre."
Among the contestants with strong Eastern Cape connections is Stuart Reece (26), who moved from PE to Bryanston to pursue a full-time career in music, as well as Phila Madlingozi (25), who was born in Kwa-Desi.
Also keep an eye out for Josh Webber(21) and Lungisa Xhamela (24). Josh, charming singer-songwriter who composed a song about Unathi's shoes in Cape Town, now calls Stellenbosch home, but was born in East London. Lungias's two-year-old daugther lives with her grandparents in his stomping grounds of Bluewater Bay in Port Elizabeth.
But will the Eastern Cape produce its first Idols winner this year? "At this stage of the competition, the Eastern Cape is a stronger then ever before, but we'll have to wait and see …." says Lombard. "Be sure to watch the Theatre Phase, 'cause there might just be some pleasant surprises for the province."
Idols SA is screened in HD on M-Net and Mzansi Magic.
For the latest information on Idols SA visit the official website at www.idolssa.tv , follow @IdolsSA on Twitter, ID IdolsSA on WeChat, or like the official Idols Facebook page at 'Idols South Africa’.
For media queries, please contact Ryan van Heerden – ryan.vanheeerden@mnet.co.za or Irvin Pooe – Irvin.pooe@mnet.co.za
