Idols South Africa: Top 10 Power Ranking
Yes, that’s right, from this week on, Justine and I will be ranking the Idols finalists – two opinions are better than one.
Now you can read Idols ramblings from two people. Our opinions will most likely differ somewhat, so it’ll be cool to see which one of us gets closer to the actual results on a weekly basis. Now you can also choose who you agree with more.
With me of course, but let’s give her a fair chance, no?
Reinhardt: Nadia Herbst – For obvious reasons. I’ll be surprised if she makes the cut on Sunday, but I’ll choose her for another week over Siphelele.
Justine: Nadia Herbst – I personally love Nadia. She is young, fresh and beautiful. These traits are possibly also the very reason why the voting public does not see Nadia's potential. I was hoping for a fun, upbeat song last week for Nadia but instead she got sabotaged with Rihanna's 'Take a Bow'. Sunday will probably mark the end of her Idols journey. Take a bow pretty girl, you did well.
Reinhardt: Siphelele Ngcobo – He lacks any star appeal. His Lira performance on Sunday was boring as hell, and he’s turning into a one trick pony. He’s a gospel guy, not a commercial star.
Justine: Siphelele Ngcobo – Ok, so I get why the masses voted Siphelele into the Top 10 but I personally don't see his relevance in the competition. He seems to have garnered quite a following and will probably stick around longer than more deserving contestants even though his rendition of 'Soul and Mind' was lukewarm at best.
Reinhardt: Lungisa Xhamela – With Amanda and Rhema coming back strongly this week, he takes a tumble down my ranking. He’s a wildcard, and his performance on Sunday wasn’t strong enough. He’s got the looks, but not the depth to back it up.
Justine: Elwira Standili – Elwira is a sweet girl with a pretty voice who may or may not blossom during the competition should she survive long enough. At this stage of the game her performances are bordering on forgettable and this could see her take the walk of shame sooner than deserved. If she wants to garner more votes she is going to have to take some risks and steer clear of another mediocre Mariah Carey-ish performance.
Reinhardt: Elwira Standili – Elwira also takes a bit of a tumble this week. Her performance of the classic “Without You” was good when it got to the high notes, but the lower register was sometimes inaudible. She has a very strong voice, but she’s struggling to pick the right songs.
Justine: Dineo Moseki – Tiny Dineo started the season off with a bang but has since fizzled drastically. She has tons of talent but poor song choices and inconsistent performances could lead to her demise in the competition. Her Taylor Swift performance did her no favours and she is going to have to work hard to secure the votes in the weeks to follow.
Reinhardt: Amanda Antony – Her performance of the little known Jessie Ware’s “Say You Love Me’ was pretty damn good, and for that reason she shoots up from #9 to #6. She may fall back down again next week, but her performance was so good, she deserves the chance to show us more.
Justine: Lungisa Xhamela – Another early favourite who has taken a dive into the sh!t pit of late. Lungisa has all the makings of a star but needs to find himself, fast. His version of 'I Can't Make You Love Me' was pretty good. I don't mind that he doesn't possess much grit, grit is often terribly overrated. He needs to convince the viewers that he is worthy of their votes or he will find himself out in the cold very soon.
Reinhardt: Rhema Varrie – Rhema also finds himself climbing a couple of spots on my ranking after a solid cover of Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror” on Sunday. It wasn’t perfect, but it was a big improvement for him, and he ended off the performance on a big how – it was a real audience pleasing performance.
Justine: Rhema Varrie – Rhema was one of my favourites early on the competition but after a terrible cover of Ed Sheeran's 'Thinking Out Loud' I realised he might not be quite up to the task of being a contender for the title. Rhema has a huge, very vocal support base who will continue to vote for him. His rendition of 'Man in The Mirror' was solid enough but nowhere near as good as American Idol Winner Nick Fradiani's.
Reinhardt: Dineo Moseki – I did not like her performance of “Blank Space” at all, but she stays in the #4 position this week because her popularity seems strong. Her fans will probably stick with her, but I don’t see her getting into the Top 3 with performances like that. She’ll have to come back strong on Sunday.
Justine: Amanda Antony – I surprised myself by ranking Amanda so high as I have just about lost all hope for her after her lacklustre Beyonce performance a couple of weeks back. After a powerful performance of Jessie Ware's 'Say You Love Me' and with her being reunited with her guitar Amanda has made leaps and bounds up the ranks.
She has the support and the talent and could just prove to pose a threat to the current front-runners.
Reinhardt: Loyiso Gijana – The contestant with the biggest star quality this season, or maybe even in years. At only 16 years old, he’s pretty damn good. His performance of “Next To Me” wasn’t close to his incredible Sam Smith cover, but I hope viewers love him and support him. I believe he has the potential to be fantastic.
Justine: Loyiso Gijana – There is no denying that the youngest contestant in this year's competition is extremely talented. Loyiso has already attracted a huge following (especially amongst the ladies) and has delivered consistently solid performances over the past few weeks. After Sunday's performance of 'Next To Me' I have a few doubts regarding Loyiso's readiness for the industry but with his fans firmly I doubt he will go anywhere soon.
Reinhardt: Mmatema Moremi – “River Deep” should get her that #1 spot, but she is not the most popular, and this is a popularity contest. Viewers – or women – just do not like other confident, strong, big-voiced women on shows like this. They get labelled as “divas”. She should be labelled a “diva” because she is great. On Sunday, she was great. Like Loyiso, also a potential star.
Justine: Karabo Mogane – I can't fault Karabo on his performances thus far in the competition. He has already been deemed the winner by his enormous fanbase and will more than likely be in the final. His take on Macy Gray's 'I Try' was soulful and smooth and hit a sweet spot with the crowd. If he breaks out of his Musa-mould he might very well find himself at the top of my list again.
Reinhardt: Karabo Mogane – A very strong performance of Macy Gray’s “I Try” coupled with his immense popularity, his spot at #1 is a no brainer. He’s everything viewers seem to love: a nice, normal guy, with an easy personality, and a good voice – like Musa. He ticks those boxes, and fits the description of an ‘Idol’ apparently. He’s good, and likable, and will probably win.
Justine: Mmatema Moremi – A week ago this spot would have belonged to Karabo but after an almost flawless rendition of Tina Turner's 'River Deep, Mountain High' Mmatema has secured her spot at the head of the pack. She is a classy performer who looks every bit the part of a worthy Idol winner and the viewers seem to agree. We might very well see a female win this season after all.
So, what do you guys think? Whose ranking seems the most plausible? Do you agree, or absolutely hate it? Weigh in, leave a comment!
