Press Release
Vote now to keep your favourite singer in Idols SA Season 10
It’s time for South Africa to be part of the Idols SA selection process. In the next two weeks the voting public will decide which of the remaining sixteen contestants should be in the coveted Top 10, and this season it’s easier than ever before with a variety of voting options.
Idols fans can vote in one of the following five ways:
By
SMS: Simply text the unique number allocated to your favourite contestant to 37400. An SMS costs R1.50, VAS rates apply and you can’t use your free SMSs. You can vote 100 times by SMS per cellphone number during a valid voting period. By dialing *120*33033# on your cellphone: You can vote 200 times per cellphone number in this way. Calls are charged at R1, 50 per minute.
Via
WeChat, where voting is free: To vote via WeChat on your mobile phone, go to
Wechat.com, download the app, add the Idols South Africa account (WeChat ID: IdolsSA) and start voting. You can vote 100 times per cellphone number on WeChat during a valid voting period.
Via the
M-Net Mobile site: Voting on the mobile site is free and you are allowed to vote 100 times per cellphone number on the mobile site during a valid voting period. Go to
www.mnet.co.za/idolsSA on your mobile handset.
Via the
Idols website: Voting on the website is free and you are allowed to 100 times on the website during a valid voting period.
The voting period opens at 17:30 on Sundays and closes on Tuesdays at 22:00. For more Terms and conditions go to
http://idolssa.dstv.com/article/idols-10-voting-terms-and-conditions-20140828.
This means that voting for the first group of eight contestants will be open until Tuesday, 2 September, at 22:00 and next Sunday you will be able to cast your vote for the second group from when their show starts until the voting period ends on the Tuesday night.
Then, on the following Sunday, 14 September, there will be special 90-minute Results Show during which the Top 10 contestants will be announced. The eight contestants with the most votes, no matter from which group they are, will automatically go through to the Top 10, while the Idols judges will be allowed to use their lifeline to fill the remaining two Top 10 spots.
Summary of this week’s Group 1 performances at the State Theatre in Pretoria:
Mirandi Smith (26), a mother of four from Rustenburg, was the first Top 16 contestant to show the voting public why she deserves a spot in the coveted Top 10. She started the evening’s line-up with the hit “Keep On” from the South African trio Blackbyrd, a recent Number 1 on Algoa FM.
Gareth thought that it was the perfect song for Mirandi and Unathi agreed. “Powerful, crisp, believable...” she said. “I hope you believe in yourself,” she added, “you belong on that stage.”
Randall admitted that Mirandi had the most difficult job, opening the show, but unfortunately he thought her sound was a bit “thin” and “reedy”.
To vote for Mirandi: Text her voting number
01 to 37400, or dial *120*33033# or vote for free on WeChat at IdolsSA, or on the M-Net mobi site or website.
Vincent Verhoog (25) from Cape Town performed “Rude” from the Canadian reggae/fusion band Magic!, which is currently climbing the OFM charts. “Look how they tidied you up!” Gareth teased a beaming Vincent. But unfortunately he would not give Vincent’s performance 10 out of 10, he said, “because on the chorus you didn’t, kinda ... ‘punch’ it,” he tried to explain.
But Unathi conceded that the judges had been telling Vincent all along so far in the competition not to be so emotional in his performances, so maybe that’s why he held back a bit. “Why you gotta be so rude?” she teased Gareth with a lyric from the song.
But Randall agreed with Gareth – “this song is not about the singing, he lectured, “it’s about capturing the emotion of the song.”
To vote for Vincent V: Text his voting number
02 to 37400, or dial *120*33033# or vote for free on WeChat at IdolsSA, or on the M-Net mobi site or website.
Celine Homan (17) from Gordon’s Bay in Cape Town performed Beyoncé’s mega-hit “XO”, which went all the way to Number 2 on 5FM. Gareth admitted that he had his doubts about the song choice because he associates it so much with Beyoncé. “It was unexpected and it was kind of refreshing,” he admitted.
“You’re aiming high,” he told Celine, ”and I think you’ve succeeded.” “I like the fact that you did it your way,” Unathi agreed. “I completely forgot about Beyoncé!”
Randall reiterated that it’s not so much about the singing but more about the embodiment of the song. “It was good,” he allowed. “I think it will capture an audience.”
To vote for Celine: Text her voting number
03 to 37400, or dial *120*33033# or vote for free on WeChat at IdolsSA, or on the M-Net mobi site or website.
Cape Town performer
Kyle “London” Louw (24), who lost many kilograms to look good on Idols, chose a recent Algoa FM Number One, the British band Clean Bandit’s “Rather Be”, for his first performance.
Gareth admitted that the first live performance of the season is always the toughest for the contestants. “It’s the first time you throw yourself at the mercy of the public, because you need votes,” he noted, “and I think you’re going to get a whole lot of those!” “Funkmaster! That’s what I’m going to call you, London!”
Unathi laughed, and Randall asked for permission to be a little cheesy: “New York, London, Paris, Munich – everybody loves pop music!” he raved.
To vote for London: Text his voting number
04 to 37400, or dial *120*33033# or vote for free on WeChat at IdolsSA, or on the M-Net mobi site or website.
Tukkies drama student
Chante Geary (20) from eMalahleni chose a KFM chart hit, George Ezra’s “Budapest”, as her first song. “It just wasn’t a home run for me,” Gareth sighed. “You are a lot more interesting than that performance.”
But Unathi disagreed. “For someone who didn’t believe that they would come this far I thought that was flawless,” she thought.
Randall said he came down in the middle between his two fellow judges. He agreed with Gareth that it wasn’t a show stopping performance but, as Elvis said about Roy Orbison, he quoted: “Son, if I could sing like that I’d also just stand there!”
To vote for Chante: Text her voting number
05 to 37400, or dial *120*33033# or vote for free on WeChat at IdolsSA, or on the M-Net mobi site or website.
Bongi Silinda (23), the backup singer from Nelspruit, performed the Mary J. Blige hit “A Night to Remember”, a recent Number 1 on Heart 104.9FM. “I see some people getting some sexy makeovers!”
Gareth teased. “You’re looking great and you were confident.” “When you hit that lower register my soul erupted,” Unathi exclaimed. “All I’m going to say is, keep showing off, girl!” “The tone in your voice is really, really special,” Randall agreed. But if Bongi makes it through to the Top 10 she’s going to need a really big ballad to make her unforgettable, he advised.
To vote for Bongi: Text her voting number
06 to 37400, or dial *120*33033# or vote for free on WeChat at IdolsSA, or on the M-Net mobi site or website.
For his performance former Centurion hairdresser
Ivan Roux (24) put his own spin on a Jacaranda FM Number 1, Avicii’s “Hey Brother”.Gareth was surprised by how much he liked that performance. “It’s a tough song and we’ve heard it a lot,” he noted. But Ivan would have to take it up a notch in future weeks, he advised.
“You took it by the horns and you went for it,” Unathi thought. But Randall thought there was an “artifice” to that performance that he didn’t like. “A cloying accent in your voice that may work to get you a few votes at this stage of the competition, but it won’t work in the long run,” he grumbled.
To vote for Ivan: Text his voting number
07 to 37400, or dial *120*33033# or vote for free on WeChat at IdolsSA, or on the M-Net mobi site or website.
In the final performance of the night, the other Vincent,
Vincent Bones (29) from Pietermaritzburg, hoped to impress the Idols voters with Nico & Vinz’s “Am I Wrong”, which peaked at Number 2 on the East Coast Radio charts.
Gareth warned that it’s a double-edged sword to sing a song that he loves so much, “because if you do it well I’ll love you, but if you do it badly I will hate you!” he warned. This particular performance was inconsistent, he thought.
But because she doesn’t have the emotional attachment that Gareth has, Unathi said, she loved that performance. “I think people are going to like you, I think you’ll get votes,” Randall pronounced. “But when we get to the sharp end of the competition you’re going to have to focus on the singing.”
To vote for Vincent B: Text his voting number
08 to 37400, or dial *120*33033# or vote for free on WeChat at IdolsSA, or on the M-Net mobi site or website.
At the end of the show Idols host ProVerb put the judges on the spot to name their favourite performances of the evening, and Randall and Unathi both picked Celine Homan. Gareth named “London” Louw as his favourite.