Pretoria gets 19 idols golden tickets
Pretoria earned 19 golden tickets at the first auditions for Idols SA Season 11 at the State Theatre in Pretoria on February 4. “We’re easing into it,” Idols judge Randall Abrahams commented in his laconic way. “We saw some very promising singers here today. Let’s see if Cape Town can better Pretoria’s performance next week.”
One of the talented performers who won a golden ticket was Pretoria’s own John Niel (24), who makes a good living busking on the streets of Pretoria. “I write my own songs – I already have more than a hundred songs in my repertoire,” a delighted John said, clutching his golden ticket. “I would love to record my own songs one day, rather than sell them to other singers.”
Shenay O’Brien from Johannesburg made Idols SA history when she became the first cross-dressing act to win a golden ticket. Shenay is the alter-ego of 24-year-old Thiart van der Linde, an actor who studied Drama at the Tshwane University of Technology. “Shenay is an actress, she’s a performer – she is legal in the industry,” Thiart explains.
The Pretoria auditions also marked flamboyant choreographer Somizi Mhlongo’s first day on duty as an Idols judge. “I was very nervous for the first hour or so,” Somizi admits. “Nervous but excited. But it’s fun.”
Mhlongo has bonded seamlessly with the existing team of Randall Abrahams, Unathi Msengana and Gareth Cliff. “We’re having a great time!” Gareth laughed. “Somizi is making me laugh a lot.”
The next audition session for Idols SA Season 11 auditions are at Grand West in Cape Town on February 7, followed by KZN auditions at The Playhouse on February 21. The final auditions will take place at Carnival City East of Johannesburg on March 1.
Contestants should be South African citizens between the ages of 16 and 30 to enter Idols SA 11, and South Africa’s aspiring superstars are urged to remember their ID documents at the auditions. Underage contestants have to be accompanied by their parents.
Idols SA is a co-production between the two pay-television channels M-Net and Mzansi Magic.
