Eight contenders made the 2021 Top 16 of Idols on Sunday (15 August) in the first part of a double bill selection process.
Here's a recap of who made it by Mzansi Magic:
It was a tense final judgment day for the 30 remaining hopefuls, who delivered their final solo auditions in front of a carefully selected audience.
This from Randall about the occasion: “The final audition was tough on the contestants and we had to eliminate some very good singers.
"Their only downfall was buckling under the pressure of the competition. Selecting the Top 16 was a brutal affair, but we have selected an exceptional group of singers and they have set a very high standard for themselves,”.
The first to make it to the Top 16 was 18-year-old
Bulelani Twala, who had sailed through his first two Theatre Week performances.
The judges were impressed with his rendition of 247 by Mnqobi Yazo.
Kevin Maduna also made the cut after performing Giveon’s Stuck on You.
The 28-year-old had consistently impressed the judges throughout the audition rounds and his final solo audition lived up to their high expectations.
“You owned it, you set the tone, you set the bar high and you killed it” said Unathi.
Karabo Mathe was next to make it to the Top 16. The 21-year-old first auditioned five seasons ago but walked away without a Golden Ticket.
This year a more confident Karabo returned, impressing the judges with her rich and bold voice throughout the audition rounds.
She secured her spot with a soulful performance of Amu Faku’s Lala Ngoxolo
. Randall Abrahams remarked that she was the undercover performer of the season.
Misty Makhene, who is one of the oldest contestants, has one last chance to make her Idols dream come true. She got one-step closer to making that dream a reality after her performance of Black Coffee’s Ready For You
.
The judges stated that she was improving with each round.
Joining Misty was 30-year-old
Berry Trytsman, who also had one last shot at Idols stardom signing Zendaya’s Neverland
.
Also in the Top 16 is
Monique Erens, who celebrated her 21
st birthday with a Golden Ticket and balloon drop.
Her final audition performance of Rowlene’s Hypnotise paved her way to the live shows.
Siya and Sia, concluded the first eight finalists of the Top 16.
21-year-old
Siya Motloung had brought one of the judges to tears during his first audition, but then stumbled through Theatre Week.
He however redeemed himself with his rendition of Blaq Diamond’s Sthandwa
.
20-year-old
Sia Mzizi also had a shaky theatre week.
During his final solo audition he had the judges dancing along to his tune as he sang Childish Gambino’s Redbone.
A hyped-up Unathi said if Idols was a performance, he was it.
Viewers can expect another tense episode next week as the final eight Top 16 contestants are announced.