Idols South Africa Recap: Only Terra and Tebogo Show Up
The showstopper theme can easily be categorized as a night where each contestant is expected to pull out all the stops, to deliver a performance worthy of an international award show, but these performances rarely are, mainly due to weak song choices.
And not everyone can be Mmatema Moremi, who delivered my favourite performance of last season, with an enigmatic version of Whitney Houston’s old style banger ‘I Wanna Dance with Somebody’. There’s certainly no Mmatema amongst the girls this year.
This year was certainly plagued by questionable song choices, but more than that, the contestants were plagued with a lack of showstopping quality.
The best performance belonged to a contestant who didn’t technically attempt to do a traditional showstopper performance, and that was Terra. He managed to stop a show with a fantastic vocal and wonderful staging and character. Bravo.
But Tebogo delivered the only traditional showstopper performance of the night, and it was a treasure.
We got the results ahead of the performances this week, and it was a goodie. Noshihe was finally sent packing, a couple of weeks too late. #JusticeforAmandaandValentine
Noma – Beyoncé’s ‘Sweet Dreams’: B
The song, the staging, the production, it all seemed to swallow Noma. The vocals were solid, I guess, but it wasn’t her best vocal performance by any stretch of the imagination. She did some nice choreography towards the end, but it didn’t keep the performance from feeling deflated. It wasn’t bad, but it definitely was no showstopper.
Bevin – Michael Jackson’s ‘Rock with You’: C
The vocals were rough, to put it pretty mildly; really, really rough. The song did nothing for him in that respect, but he moved like a damn pop star. Good performer, good dancer, good image, just a pity his vocals couldn’t match those highs. It’s a pity. This might be the end of the road for him. .
Keegan – Usher’s ‘Hey Daddy’: B-
Keegan certainly tried to pick a terrible Usher song for Showstopper week, and he succeeded. Usher has many showstopping tracks and this is what he picks? It went nowhere. I didn’t like the song for him at all. His vocal did suffer somewhat, very breathy in parts, but it wasn’t bad. The choreography was fine, if a little too much for him to handle, but I didn’t feel any sensuality. Sure left me wanting.
Lucia – Malaika’s ‘Destiny’: C-
Flat. That describes the performance sufficiently. She struggled to breathe life into a song that kept her stuck in first gear. The vocals were okay, but there was just nothing to the performance. It was low energy, as Gareth said. It’s also hard to grade. It was a passable vocal and just a lukewarm performance at best. Maybe Bevin can stay?
Terra – Rihanna’s ‘Love on The Brain’: A-
What a weird, weird choice for a showstopper theme. The song isn’t showstopper, but that voice certainly is! My pick for the best voice in this competition, no doubt – world class. He sold the character he was portraying so well, and that voice! It was a powerful performance, and it was a showstopper in a much different way. You can stop a show with just an emotionally resonant performance, and that was it.
Thami – Ne-Yo’s ‘Closer’: B
Firstly, a good song choice. Everyone knows the song. Secondly, those verses were not his best in that it sounded very robotic. Thirdly, the chorus was much stronger, and with that he finished strongly. It wasn’t a showstopper, but it was a solid attempt. The dancers pulled the performance together more than he did, but he really tried to transform into a pop star, which he isn’t. A for effort, but a B it is.
Tebogo – Bruno Mars’ ‘Treasure’: A-
That was more like it! Tebogo delivered an energetic, colourful performance with a solid vocal. By far, the most complete performance of the night, but who the hell switched off his mic?!? It was a wonderful performance until some imbecile really tried to screw it up. But it certainly didn’t derail a very good performance, and the crowd were way too tepid. It was a funky, soulful, refreshing showstopper.
Should go home: Lucia
Will go home: Bevin
Will go home: Bevin
