Idols South Africa Recap: No Standouts as First Contestant Eliminated
Idols is back to being shitty. What an unremarkable, forgettable night of performances. It was a night where not one contestant did enough to label themselves a frontrunner, where not one performance was great enough to be deemed the ‘performance of the night’.
Sure, there were a few solid performances here and there, but generally, it was forgettable. Not even the elimination was suspenseful, or surprising, no matter how hard the producers tried. They decided to copy American Idol – again – as the results were only revealed when a contestant was asked to perform. That meant by the end of the show, two would be left: one performs, and the other one is eliminated.
When Amanda Antony and Nadia Herbst were the last two left standing, awaiting their results, it was clear what producers were angling for: a cruel twist of fate. The last time these two girls were pitted against one another, Nadia was sent through to the Top 16. Amanda was sent home. Last night, Nadia was sent home, and Amanda performed. Cruel, and predictable.
‘Solid’ performances came from Mmatema, Amanda, Karabo, Elwira, and Rhema, but it was still pretty far from ‘great’. The judges loved Loyiso and Lungisa, and Dineo, but hey, my ears didn’t think so.
The first contestant safe and in the Top 9 was Karabo. He’s this season’s winner, alright, but at least try to conceal that, and keep this season interesting.
Karabo – “Rolling in the Deep” by Adele: B
Last week’s “I Try” was going to be hard to top, and this performance did not do that, not even close. That said, it was ‘solid’. Smooth, but I wanted more. It was safe, and a little too straightforward. Randall didn’t like the performance because of a “lack of interpretation”, especially during the verses. I gotta agree with that. He did nothing to it, didn’t make it his own. It was safe and solid, without capturing the essence of the Adele original. It lacked the punch behind the Adele hit.
Siphelele was next. He’s still firmly on his quest to bore us to tears with sameness.
Siphelele – “Nizalwa Ngobani” by Thandiswa: D+
It’s the same thing over and over from Siphelele. “Chearleader” was the only performance of his that pushed him, the others have all been safe and in his lane, and it gets hard to critique. The vocals were all over the place, the verses were flat. It was off. There’s nothing else to add. He needs to go, people, voters, anyone out there. Gareth didn’t enjoy it and called it flat, Randall agreed. Terrible across the board, almost.
PE’s 16-year-old Loyiso was the third contestant through.
Loyiso – “Gravity” by Sara Barreilles: B-
I have fond memories of this song. It’s a great, emotional ballad. Beautiful lyrics performed ethereally. So, my expectations were high. It’s tough. I was pulling for Loyiso, but this song was too hard for him. He struggled to connect to the lyrics, struggled to get through the verses, and his lower register wasn’t up to it. It was a bummer. I don’t know if his age had something to do with it, but it fell flat, emotionally. The best thing about the performance was the high note he hit, and his falsetto that’s always up to it. Come on, Loyiso, you need to fight back. The judges, however, loved it. Randall was funny. He said if Loyiso didn’t get the votes this week, Japan will win the Rugby World Cup. With performances like this, Loyiso definitely won’t win.
Elwira was the first girl through..
Elwira – “Hurt” by Christina Aguilera: B+
This was the best Elwira has sounded throughout the live shows - much, much better vocal from her. Power. Possibly too much power, but to me, Elwira finally arrived. Somizi thought it needed colour. Isn’t the colour he brings enough? The judges were underwhelmed. We definitely were hearing different things. I liked it. It was strong, and the ending was subtle enough.
Wildcard Lungisa was the 5th contestant through.
Lungisa – “Hurricane” by Eric Benet: C+
Where has Lungisa’s star quality gone? Live performances thus far have been a dud for him, and this performance extended that run. His vocals were not on the mark, and the chorus was almost inaudible. He had to really reach to get to those higher notes, and he mostly missed them. His falsetto is weak compared to Loyiso’s. Gareth called him “masterful”. We just weren’t hearing the same stuff, uh? Randall thought he made it look too easy, and called it the most “well rounded” and “professional” performance he has heard thus far. Apparently, hearing it live and watching it on television are completely different experiences.
Mmatema was the 6th contestant into the Top 9. I thought they were going to keep her until last.
Mmatema – “Warrior” by Demi Lovato: B+
This was a professional performance. It wasn’t close to last week’s epic Tina performance, but was it strong. She looks like a star, and sounds like a star, and just is. She sold the song, interpreted the lyrics, and dug in emotionally. The vocal wasn’t perfect, but it was solid. Somizi wants something mellow next week – then tell Karabo to come alive next week, please – and not something loud again. Randall didn’t think it was as good as Loyiso or Lungisa’s performances, and, clearly, I disagree. She inhabited the song much better than they did.
Dineo was next.
Dineo – “Broken-hearted Girl” by Beyonce: D+
Dineo is no Beyonce. The lower register caused all sorts of trouble for her, and the chorus ran away from her. She basically screamed her way through the second half of the song. It was more like a yell. It was her weakest vocal performance thus far. The crowd – and Somizi – loved it. Gareth mentioned the breathing problems. No, Gareth, it was shit. The vocals were not on point, Somizi. Nothing about this performance was on point. Judges raved, and my mouth was agape.
Rhema was next to perform, leaving Amanda and Nadia.
Rhema – “This Time” by John Legend: B+
His performances are awkward, and it really holds him back. He’s very intense. Maybe smiling is the answer. Enjoy it a bit more. The vocals were mostly on point, solid, and emotional. Emotionally, he’s getting there. He digs in. Was it incredible? No. Was it strong? Yes. Considering the night’s performances, this was quite strong. Somizi called it the performance of the night. He’s showing he deserves to be here, and clearly he does. Randall wants him to do a fun up tempo song next week, and I agree. He has to.
The final result. Yep, Amanda was through.
Amanda – “Because of You” by Kelly Clarkson: B+
Amanda is growing week to week. That terrible Beyonce performance from three weeks ago is now long forgotten. Last week she was fantastic. This week, still pretty good. Similar to Mmatema and Elwira, it was powerful. Amanda has a really strong, deep voice, so it’s always better for her to tone it down and show some restraint. Kelly Clarkson is a very tough vocalist to cover, but she did it with power. Love the song, liked the performance. Unathi called it technically one of the best performances of the season. I wouldn’t go that far, but it was very solid. She deserves to stay for quite a while.
Should go home: Siphelele
Will go home: Elwira
What did you think of the performances? Were you as underwhelmed? Please weigh in and leave a comment!
