What did Aaliyah say in her timeless R&B banger? “Dust yourself off and try again”. On Idols SA, the work of dream chasing involves a lot of bumps along the road, and many contestants have had to learn to pick themselves up.

And now that we are in the final season of the popular singing competition, Mzansi’s talented hopefuls know that this could be their last shot at making it big.

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After all, Idols SA is a platform with an enormous legacy of unearthing some of the biggest artists in the land. The likes of Khaya Mthethwa, Shekhinah, Lloyiso, Amanda Black, and amongst others Heinz Winckler, were all discovered on the show. Not only have they achieved remarked commercial success, but they have also sustained their house name status through the years.

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As such, it’s proven important for a number of returning soldiers to come back and give it another go. To do this, courage is needed. Once again, they will face the same panel of judges who once sent them home, and prove themselves worthy of another chance.

This season, a slew of returning soldiers have already taken up the challenge. Faith returned from Limpopo to audition after failing to make the cut during season 18. This time the dreamer gave the judges goosebumps with his powerhouse vocals, leading many to wonder what changed in his approach. He used the time away to improve his skill, honed his craft, and built his confidence.

On Saturday, a certain Neve will break the cap and try again. In her initial season, she was slammed for not showing enough confidence to make it. This time, her confidence is the very thing that has been clear for the judges to see.

Lungile’s return has been triumphant. For her audition, she seemed to cruise without a bother and instead unleashed a vocal beast without breaking a sweat. A “no” she got once did not dash her dreams, it made them bigger.

Idols SA airs every Saturday at 18:00 on Mzansi Magic (DStv Channel 161), thereafter on Mzansi Wethu at 19:30.

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