Last week the guys set the stage alight with their performances under the theme “the best cover songs” in this 16th edition of “Idols SA”.
On Sunday, it was the ladies’ turn to belt out their renditions as they vied for a spot in the top 10.
Jerodine was first to fight for her place in the top 10 with her rendition of “Something He Can Feel” by En Vogue.
The judges were unanimous in their praise, with Randall Abrahams saying her performance was good from the start, and that he could see her growing in the competition. “It was a good place to start,” he said.
Unathi Nkayi said it was Jerodine’s best performance yet, calling it immaculate, while Somizi Mhlongo-Motaung called her a powerhouse.
Next was Melanin, whose performance of Anna Kendrick’s “True Colours” delighted the judges.
Unathi said the show demonstrated to her how delicate and caring Melanin was. “You nailed the emotion,” she said. Both Somizi and Randall said she sounded like herself and did not try to sound like Anna.
Bongi decided to show off her big voice with her rendition of Whitney Houston’s 1992 hit “All The Man That I Need”.
Her shaky start was brushed off by the judges, with Somizi saying: “You look like the queen you are supposed to be.” Randall said she had a powerful voice, but edged a little to close to being like Houston. Unathi remarked that she had a phenomenal voice.
Ndoni’s rendition of Tracey Chapman’s 1988 folk-rock smash hit “Fast Car” received mixed feedback, with Randall saying she took too many liberties with the phrasing.
Somizi, however, gave her a Whoo Shem! Unathi urged her to surprise the viewers with unlikely song choices. “I enjoyed what you did,” she said.
Dee’s “Rolling in the deep” by Adele got a lukewarm reception, with Unathi calling her performance a “commendable attempt”.
Somizi said it was beautiful to watch her perform. Randall said he liked her, and offered advice on how to make a song her own.
Somizi called Be’s performance of “How Come You Don’t Call Me?” by Alicia Keys amazing, giving her a 10 out 10 for self-esteem.
Randall responded: “This competition is going to be tight.” Unathi said she was captivated by Be’s performance.
The performance of the night, however, seemed to be Ntokozo, whose rendition of Beyoncé’s “I’d Rather Go Blind” moved Somizi to his feet and Unathi to tears.
“It was the most complete performance of the night,” Randall. Somizi said she had built the song like a pyramid. “The emotional side of the song was super,” he said.
Rounding off a night of some superb performances was Zama with Tori Kelly’s “Crazy”.
Unathi was inspired by Zama, and Somizi mused that modesty suited her and that it was a lovely performance. Randall said while he liked her performance, he would have preferred to see “a little change of attitude”.
With the ladies’ performances now in the bag, it is now up to the viewers to decide who moves on the top 10.
While voting for the male contestants is now closed, viewers have up until 10pm on Tuesday to vote for the top 10 ladies.