What do you think? .... do you stand a better chance of winning a reality talent search if no-one knows who are; or if
everyone knows who are because you've got a famous, mom'singer?
This is the dilemma that challenges 18-year-old Popstars contestant Noluthando Malope a.k.a.
the Rebecca's daughter. She made her TV debut on Saturday night's episode that covered the auditions in Pretoria and couldn't rid of her mom, no matter what she did.
First Sis Ribs was hovering and waving around behind her, when she was introduced:
Then she went berserko singing,
and then got very bossy:
Thankfully she
eventually disappeared and gave her a bit of space during the actual auditions, where Noluthando caused a heart-flutter in PJ Powers who girlcrushed on her bigtime. She took one look at her and couldn't stop saying: "You're very, very beautiful. You really are. You really
are."
Which Azania caught too. She went into a weird sort of trance, muttering: "mesmerising."
The only one who didn't seem as smitten was Zwai, probably because of his concerns about the problem orange T-shirt he wore. We love him but he really needs to do something about his moobs.
Still, Noluthando didn't seem to notice and managed to sing her heart out, in between a hiccup of nerves. In her interviews between her singing she explained that she'd wanted to go to the auditions in Jozi the week before but decided against it. Then she plucked up the courage and tried in Pretoria.
On one hand you'd think she'd be super confident, yet on another you can understand why she'd be more nervous than other contenders. The pressure.
Expectations.
The aftermath: if she's in the winning group there are those who'll say she only got there because of her mom; and if she isn't there are those who'll say the same.
Revealing that being the child/brother/sister/anyone close to a star must be a very complicated thing.
Which will get more so now: she's in the group who are being considered for Workshop Week. All of the semi-finalists have been chosen from round the country, next: the judges need to decide who has what it takes to make it through to intensive training.