In an extraordinary voting cycle that saw nearly 10ย million votes cast for the Idols SA Season 11 Top 4 contestants this week, 24-year-old Siphelele Ngcobo was the contestant who received the fewest votes, and had to bid his Idols SA dream farewell. The KZN native came so far on his Idols journey, having returned this week from an incredible whirlwind tour of London with his fellow three contestants.ย
Siphelele was inspired to enter Idols SA by the likes of Khaya Mthethwa and Lโloyd Cele โ โIโve seen how it changed their lives. I thought if they can make it, I can also make it,โ he said.
Even at Sun City already he had the judges in raptures with his jazzy interpretation of Zaharaโs โLoliweโ in his solo audition, bringing Unathiย Msengana to the first tears of the season. โI couldnโt have imagined that song done better than the original. This is magic,โ Gareth Cliff said happily.
Throughout the Top 10 competition Siphelele performed only South African songs as far as possible, choosing Liraโs โSoul In Mindโ for the Top 10 Spectacular on 20 September. Unathiย commended him on that strategy when he sang Thandiswa Mazwaiโs โNizalwa Ngobaniโ in the Top 9 Spectacular the day after thatย artistโs birthday. In fact, the first time he performed an international hit โ Lionel Richieโs Oscar-winning 1985 hit โSay You, Say Meโ for the Eighties-themedย Top 8 Spectacular โ Somizi Mhlongo scolded him for it. โNo more English!โ he ranted.
When Sipheleleย returned to vernacular classics in the Top 7 โShowstopperโ Spectacular with Mpumiโs โSomandlaโ, Gareth thought it was authentic, it was very real, and it was very โhimโ. ย
He had to revert to an international classic for the Top 6 Spectacularโs dual theme of โ90s vs Nowโ singing the All 4 One hit โI Can Love You Like Thatโ in the first round and Nathiโs โNomvulaโ for the second, but this time the gamble paid off. โYour voice is anointed!โ Somizi raved, and Randall Abrahams was dumbstruck. โJust a few weeks ago it looked like you were going home,โ he spluttered. โIn my time on Idols Iโve never seen such a comeback.โ
Sipheleleโs choices for the Top 5 Spectacular were John Legendโs โSo Highโ and The Soilโs โInkomoโ.ย He received a warning from Randall that โpeople donโt only vote on songs choices, they choose on personalityโ.
Sipheleleโs final performancesย in Idols SA Season 11 wereย in the Top 4 Spectacular on 1 November, where he sang Liraโs โFeel Goodโ for the first round and Ringo Madlingoziโs โKum naKumโ for the second. โItโs performances like this that keep the people of the Kingdom of the Zulu, the Kingdom of heaven, so proud of you,โ Unathi told him, and Randall noted that Siphelele had to be the most unaffected performer heโd ever seen in eleven seasons of Idols SA.
Fans can hear Siphelele perform the songs he would have sung on tonightโs Top 3 Spectacular live on Arye Kellmanโs Internet-streaming show on CliffCentral at 16:00 onย 9 November.
For the latest information on Idols SA visit the official website at www.idolssa.tv, follow @IdolsSA on Twitter, ID IdolsSA on WeChat, or like the official Idols SA Facebook page at โIdols South Africaโ.
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