The eight girls in the Idols Top 16 sang for a spot in the Top 10 on Sunday (6 September), delivering a mix of Ella Henderson, Sia and Beyoncé.
Here's what the judges had to say about each of their performances:
The first girl to sing was
Mmatema Moreni, performing the Ella Henderson hit, Ghost.
Gareth said it was a very powerful start to the evening. “You’ve made it very unfair for the other girls, that they have to follow that,” he said. Somizi was left speechless. “You are such an amazing ... your range is beyond ... your tone is beyond ...” he sputtered.
Unathi responded with, “Oh, my gosh! You are devastatingly gifted!” and went on to say she was happy to see that Mmatema performed the song like she meant every single word.
Even Randall Abrahams was pleased. “There are many weeks to go before the final, keep up the song choice,” he advised. “Your charisma is what’s going to get you the votes.”
You can vote for Mmatema:
- by SMSing her voting number for the night
01 to 37400 (SMS's are charged at R1.50/SMS, limited to 100 votes per cellphone number).
- via USSD by dialing *120*33033# (Calls are charged at R1,50 per minute, limited to 200 votes per cellphone number).
- via WeChat (for free) (100 times per cellphone number).
- the official mobile site or
Idols SA website (also free and 100 times per cellphone number for each valid voting period).
Next up was the youngest girl in the competition this year, 17-year-old
Nina Terblanche from Nelspruit, with Blackbyrd’s Better In The Morning.
“That was cute, I liked that a lot,” said Gareth. “I picked up something in your voice that I’ve heard in Taylor Swift’s voice. And that is something that’s very cool right now - a girl with a guitar and a great voice.”
“I like the fact that you hold your own,” said Somizi. “What you did now was perfecto. You are what I would call a full package.”
“It was enchanting, it was endearing, it was cheerful,” said Unathi.
And Randall summarised all of his colleagues’ positive comments... “You have a very different voice,” he praised. But he warned that Nina might struggle with votes because she’s not as confident as most of the other girls in the competition.
You can vote for Nina:
- by SMSing her voting number for the night
02 to 37400.
- via the other options previously listed.
Amanda Antony from Port Elizabeth was up next with Beyoncé’s sexy anthem Drunk In Love.
“That is a very hard song to do right, and vocally I can’t fault you,” said Gareth. But in some ways he still thought it was a little lacking. ”I give it an 8 out of 10,” he told Amanda.
Somizi agreed that there are certain artists who, if you’re going to do their songs, “you need your ancestors next to you.” And Unathi advised Amanda that “it’s okay to be extraordinarily sexy when you do this kind of song”.
“It was kinda paint-by-numbers,” Randall agreed. He wondered if Amanda would get votes because of this song choice, or lose votes because of it.
You can vote for Amanda:
- by SMSing her voting number for the night
03 to 37400.
- via the other options previously listed.
Elwira Standili from Worcester followed Amanda with the Taylor Swift hit Style.
“There’s a lightness to that song, it bounces, and I felt like yours was plodding, it wasn’t bouncing,” Gareth thought.
Somizi advised Elwira that it’s okay to admit that some songs are not your style. “Next time choose a soulful, ‘chilli-baba’ song,” he advised. “I thought you were perfect,” Unathi disagreed.
“This was just stodgy,” said Randall. “It completely lacked charm.”
You can vote for Elwira:
- by SMSing her voting number for the night
04 to 37400.
- via the other options previously listed.
18-year-old
Bridgitt Leahy from Pietermaritzburg chose the Meghan Trainor hit Lips Are Moving.
Gareth said there was a lot he could criticise in her performance, “but I can’t help liking it,” he said, “And I do want to hear you up there again.”
Somizi agreed that Bridgitt was not on key but Unathi was impressed with how much she had grown so far in this competition. “I think you’re growing week by week,” she said.
“The one thing you have on your side is that you’re quirky,” said Randall. “But if you have that card to play, you’ve got to play it. You’ve got to get in there!” he urged her.
You can vote for Bridgitt:
- by SMSing her voting number for the night
05 to 37400.
- via the other options previously listed.
Paarl beauty queen
Nadia Herbst strutted her stuff with Ellie Golding’s Love Me Like You Do.
“I did not expect that,” Gareth said honestly. “You
occupied that song.” He said Nadia and Mmatema were head-and-shoulders above the rest. “Perfect song choice, perfect emotions, perfect look and feel - it was your show,” said Somizi.
“That was incredibly powerful,” Unathi agreed. But Randall had problems with the phrasing and he thought the high notes were pitchy. “So if you’re going to get votes, as the other judges seem to think, I don’t think it will be for singing,” he complained.
You can vote for Nadia:
- by SMSing her voting number for the night
06 to 37400.
- via the other options previously listed.
Next up it was the turn of Vryburg singer
Dineo Moseki, performing Sia’s Chandelier.
“Listen, it’s a very hard song,” said Gareth. “I found the chorus pitchy and strained.” Somizi momentarily lost command of his English ... “You swung on that chandelier, vocally,” he praised. “Sia is the pap-and-vleis, and you brought the chakalaka!”
Unathi thought it was the performance of the night. But Randall disagreed. “To my mind you spent 90% of the time swallowing the words,” he complained.
You can vote for Dineo:
- by SMSing her voting number for the night
07 to 37400.
- via the other options previously listed.
25-year-old
Shenay O’Brien from Johannesburg closed the show with Jessie J, Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj’s mashup of Bang Bang.
Gareth thought this performance was the one that “jumped the shark” for Shenay. “The vocals did not work for me,” he said sadly. Somizi reminded Shenay that he advised her to sing in her own voice. “Bye, Felicia,” he said shortly.
But Unathi thought everyone in the Top 16 could learn from Shenay when it comes to performance. “There were moments that worked and there were moments that were absolutely bleak,” said Randall. If you can’t handle that falsetto, stay away from the song, he advised.
You can vote for Shenay:
- by SMSing her voting number for the night
08 to 37400.
- via the other options previously listed.
Voting for the girls opened at the start of the live show and closes on Tuesday night (8 September) at 22h00.
The result of this voting period and last week’s voting for the Top 16 guys will be announced at the live show next Sunday (13 September).
The four girls with the most votes and the four guys with the most votes will be safe. The four girls and guys with the fewest votes will be up for elimination and the judging panel will save two contestants (guys or girls) to make up the Top 10.