Dewald Louw (20) from Bloemfontein became kykNET's first Idol on Sunday night, beating Willem Botha (19) from Riversdal and Alzonia Titus (19) from Great Brak River to win the reality competition.
Louw is no stranger to Idols - it was his third stab at it. In 2003 he made it to the final 32, but last year the judges booted him out in the first round.
So he went from not being good enough to even make the Top 50 one year to winning it the next, which is either testament to an astonishing workrate on his part or incredible incompetence from previous judges of the show.
Well ... you explain it then.
Louw was the only one of the final three not to kiss butt in his final performance - he sang Idol by Ghapi, while Botha sang a song by Idols presenter
Sean Else and Titus sang a number by Idols judge
Mynie Grové.
Louw will now record his winning song, Idol, and torture us with it on radio until someone tells him to shut up.
He wins a recording deal from Sony BMG, a Peugeot 206, R50,000 cash from ATKV, a laptop from @lantic, a cordless microphone from Shure and a gift pack from Truworths reportedly valued at R10,000.
Not a bad little haul at all.
He needn't worry about our sarcasm either, as well-meant as it is. According to
Patricia Lewis, in
an interview with TVSA's Tashi Tagg, you really want to be an Afrikaans artist these days.
"The Afrikaans music market is incredibly well supported – they listen to their music, they buy their albums, they go to shows, they organise shows, whereas the English music market – I don't want to say the word but it's almost non-existent as far as success rates are concerned," the
Supersterre creator said.
"Yes, you get your Arno Carstens who'll sell a gold - which is literally unheard of these days for an English artist - but in the Afrikaans market you get lots of artists who sell gold within the first week of releasing."
Louw's first confirmed singing engagement is at the Aardklops Arts Festival in Potchefstroom at the end of September, where he will be performing with fellow Idols Tracey-Lee, Valeska, Nelda, Jaco and Willem.