Tumi reflects on her Idols journey and asks the very important question many have been afraid to ask, yet she answers it herself, candidly so. Read/Listen to the interview.
Tumi posing at the Idols media and contestants bonding session a week before her elimination
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Minutes after her elimination, Idols 10 contestant 21-year old Tshwane University of Technology Musical Theatre student Tumi Morabe spoke to TVSA’s Makisto about her shock elimination that trended on Twitter and her first time experience on the bottom three that cost her dearly.
Visibly shaken, Tumi tries to put on a brave face as I make my way into the media room where she is waiting to talk to me. Seconds into our conversation, her confident self re-emerges and seems to be making peace with her elimination. After all, it is a competition and someone needed to leave.
In this interview, Tumi goes further to discuss serious issues of gender disparities that exist in South African Idols perpetuated by the voting public. She questions why we have not been having a female Idol in a very long ling time especially because “we have had so many talented female contestants,” she says.
Makisto: Hey Tumi, uhm, how do you feel about what happened tonight?
Tumi: I am very shocked, I didn’t expect it, but life goes on.
Makisto: Did you foresee your elimination?
Tumi: I think because London has been in the bottom [3], it wasn’t a shock, not to say he is not good…For me and Lize as people who have never been in the bottom 3, it was kind of shocking because I didn’t expect it at all. I gave it [my performance last week] my all. I think my performances were quite good to get me to that next round. So I was definitely shocked especially because Lize and I have never been in the bottom 3.
Makisto: What song were going to perform tonight?
Tumi: I was gonna do one of my favourite house tracks by DJ Kent featuring The Arrows, “Spin My World Around”.
Tumi and Makisto at the Idols in Pretoria
Makisto: That’s an awesome song…
Tumi: It is. I just wanted to have fun and connect with South Africans more because all of us love house music.
Makisto: Tell us about your preparation for the performance that is not gonna happen anymore
Tumi: Because of the stripped down theme, it wasn’t gonna be a full house music. It’s more intimate and kinda focusing on the lyrics because it talks about love and emotion, being in a relationship. So in that sort it was more slow at the beginning and soft. And then as it goes to the end it’s a bit more upbeat. Not full sound, it was literally stripped down.
Makisto: Tell us about your stay in house and your experience.
Tumi: For the first time it was fun but dealing with different personalities can sometimes put you off a bit. I mean you are not used to living with those people. It was fun and then it got a bit difficult to deal with different people you don’t really know who they are, when they are moody and when they are not – that kind of vibe was the downside of it.
Makisto: Who are you going to miss the most?
Tumi: The contestants – the way we worked together, everyone is such a hard worker. I have learned that there is no room for being lazy, you know what I mean. Everybody is so passionate about what they do and that is what I take from this experience. – [passion].
Makisto, Tumi and Musa at the Idols
Makisto: Did you form any special relationships with anyone?
Tumi: I was very close to Demi Lee and Lize. We called ourselves the three best friends anyone could ever have. And Musa. I was very close with those three.
Makitso: Who will you not miss?
Tumi: No one…no..it’s not that I wasn’t close with the others because I didn’t mention the others names. I did have personal talks with the others but I was not as close to them as with Demi Lees.
Makisto: Who will you be voting for?
Tumi: Do I still need to vote? OMG! I would definitely vote for Bongi. I think she has a stunning voice and I uhm, can a lady win this year please?! I’m definitely gonna root for the ladies. Definitely Bongi and Demi Lee are the people I will be rooting for.
Makisto: That was gonna be my next question…in terms of how South Africa votes and who ends up winning. For quite a number of years now, we have had a number of males winning and clashing in the finals. Do you think the way South Africa votes, it is swayed towards the male side?
Tumi: I definitely think so and I don’t understand it. It is not that females are not talented…I feel like in most seasons, there were a lot of girls that were very talented and I would have liked them to get to the finals at least. It didn’t happen. I remember in 2012 it was Khaya and Melisa at the finals. I think South Africans prefer a male singer than a female singer, I don’t know why.
Makisto Going forward, what will you be focusing your energies on?
Tumi: Getting back to what I love doing which is singing and recording which is what I have been doing. I am definitely not gonna stop studying because I was studying. I am definitely gonna keep pushing for musical theatre. Hopefully someone sees me and the gift I have and gets to work with me.
Makisto: On that note thanks for your time Tumi and all the best for the future.
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