Innocent Masuku is the latest South African to shine on the global stage.
The 33-year-old has captivated “Britain's Got Talent” judges and audiences during the latest season of the hit reality talent show competition.
He took to the stage to belt out his opera rendition of Lucio Dalla's “Caruso”, which earned him a “yes” from all four judges: Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon and Bruno Tonioli.
Masuku’s powerful performance also won the audience over.
That said, he didn't earn a Golden Buzzer, which would have automatically moved him directly to the live shows.
Meanwhile, the buzz surrounding Masuku's performance has spread far and wide, with a video clip of his act making waves across social media platforms.
The Mpumalanga born operatic tenor, who is currently living in London, was referred to by Holden as “hands-down the best opera singer ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ Judges have ever seen”.
Masuku has several accolades, including a Merit Award in the 2019 SAMRO competition as well as a Drake Calleja Trust Award, The Oppenheimer International Scholarship and The Countess Of Munster Musica award, under his belt.
A former studio member of the Cape Town Opera, he made his first public performance in a production of “Porgy and Bess”.
The musician is now part of the English National Opera, playing Count Almaviva in “Barber of Seville”.
Following his stellar performance on “Britain's Got Talent’, the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Zizi Kodwa, took to X to praise him.
“South African creatives continue to raise the country’s flag high around the world. I congratulate Innocent Masuku on his sterling performance in ‘Britain’s Got Talent’. All the best as you proceed in the competition! @CyrilRamaphosa @SportArtsCultur @BGT”
Meanwhile, @SekaoV added: “I firmly believe God had to wash his hands before creating South Africans. This is Innocent Masuku on the world stage.”
@HaynieCecil also commented: “ WOW!!! #InnocentMasuku “this is your calling”. He’s been called “The BEST Opra singer BGT has ever seen”. Is this the next Britain’s Got Talent WINNER? VIVA SOUTH AFRICA!!! VIVA! #BGT #BritiansGotTalent.”
And while Masuku is the latest South African to perform well at an international reality show, he isn’t the only one.
The Ndlovu Youth Choir went on to become “America's Got Talent” season 14 finalists in 2019.
Their soulful sound captivated the world at the time and while they didn't end up winning the competition, the South African musical group signed a record deal with Syco Entertainment through a joint venture with Sony Music and began recording their debut studio album, “Africa”, when they returned.
The group, which were founded back in January 2009 by the Ndlovu Care Group childcare community based in Limpopo, also won Best Independent Music Video at the Hollywood Music Awards in October 2018, for the single, "Shape of You" with South African flautist, Wouter Kellerman.
The Mzansi Youth Choir also secured a spot in “America's Got Talent’s” finale last year.
The choir received the show’s first-ever group golden buzzer, which saw them automatically advancing to one of the live semi-finals of the show.
At the time, the choir performed Nightbirde's “It's Ok”, with Cowell describing it as "the perfect audition".
Meanwhile, Musa Motha also made history last year when he became the first person to receive a group golden buzzer on “Britain's Got Talent”.
At the time, all the judges pressed the golden buzzer at the same time, resulting in golden confetti raining on him and he advanced to the next stage of one of the world's most popular competitions.
The Johannesburg-born dancer, who isn’t letting his disability hold him back, made it to the finals of series 16 of the hit show and received a hero’s welcome when he returned to South Africa.
He was also gifted his dream car, a brand new 2023 Audi A3 Sportback 35 TFSI, courtesy of the Audi Centre Sandton, upon his return.
He was quoted as saying at the time: "If you're dancing with an able company, you have to make sure that you work hard. When people see you on stage, it’s not like, 'Aw, that's so cute!' but they see the actual performance. And then [you] steal the show."
Meanwhile, South Africa’s very own Whitney Houston, Belinda Davids also received a golden buzzer for her stellar performance on the “Got Talent All-Stars” competition last year.
The Port Elizabeth born musician performed Houston’s “I Have Nothing” at the competition, which features artists from more than 70 countries who are previous winners, finalists, or semi-finalists of the franchise and whose performances have gone viral.
She also received a standing ovation from the judges at the time and back in 2020, the songstress made it through to the semi-finals of “Britain’s Got Talent” with Cowell remarking at the time that her performance was “the moment we’ve been waiting for”.
“It was good to compete against other all-stars. All of them are so incredible at their craft. Being on stage is one of my favourite things. Singing to the judges was so scary but also so cool because they have all made it in their own right,” she told The Weekend Argus at the time.