Amapiano superstar Lady Du impressed Idols SA viewers on Sunday.
“IDOLS SA” season 17 kicked off its live shows with the first eight of the contestants taking to stage to fight for a spot in the top 10.
Guest judge Lady Du joined judges Unathi Nkayi and Randall Abrahams as they gave commentary on the performances of the first group from the top 16.
And while some aced their performances, getting comments like being “hot like a heater”, some definitely missed it.
Just like Sinovuyo’s sultry rendition of Jazmine Sullivan’s “Pick Up The Feelings” – all three judges felt her performance just did not pick up.
Randall commented that she swallowed her words a lot during the performance, while Lady Du advised her to pay attention to her notes, echoing Randall’s sentiments. All that Unathi could advise was to focus.
Sia Mzizi, Tesmin-Robyn, Bulelani, Daylin Sass and Berry all got not-so-good comments from Randall.
Mzizi took on Giveon’s “Heartbreak Anniversary”, that left Randall unconvinced that he brought it on stage, while Lady Du and Unathi raved about his vocal ability, labelling him as an innate performer.
Tesmin-Robyn’s take on Beyoncé’s rendition of “Before I Let Go” by Maze left Unathi feeling that her performance reached out to three generations of audiences, as this cover song has been alive for many years, and Lady Du impressed with her bravery of taking on a Beyoncé cover, earning advice to focus on her vocals as much as she does on performance.
Randall felt that she needed to step into the song from the get-go to ensure that she remained the centre of attention throughout the performance.
Bulelani took on Charlie Puth’s “Attention”, and while Randall was happy with his vocals, he felt that Bulelani injected energy a little too late. His performance was, however, enough to impress the other two judges.
Just like Daylin Sass’s rendition of Silk Sonic’s “Leave The Door Open”, Lady Du and Unathi were thoroughly impressed with his passionate and sensual vocals, leaving Lady Du wanting roses and chocolates and Unathi labelling him “phenomenal” for his abilities to evoke emotions on a pop song.
Randall, on the other hand, was able to pick up Sass’s change in delivery at the beginning of the song and thought the decision was risky, further commenting that his performance was “cabaret-like”.
By cabaret, he meant “entertainment held in a nightclub or restaurant while the audience eats or drinks at tables”.
Berry unfortunately got the same comment from Randall, saying that he was worried that she and Daylin were destined to share a cabaret stage.
Berry gave her rendition of Lady Diego’s “You Say”, that won her praise from Unathi and from Lady Du.
On the up side, a teary Andiswa was the first to take to the stage, performing “Midnight Sky” by Miley Cyrus.
Unathi commented that she was amazing, a sentiment shared by Lady Du, while Randall found her performance “static”.
The comment of the night came from Randall, for Nqobi’s rendition of “Hard Place” by H.E.R.
All Randall could say was “I love you, love you, love you”, adding that her calm demeanour and not trying too hard made it easy to enjoy the performance.
Unathi, apart from loving Nqobi’s fashion sense, said that she delivered a colourful and powerful performance, while Lady Du commented that she had the fire needed in any performer.
“Idols SA” viewers also sang the praises of the “Dakiwe” hitmaker’s judging on the show.
Next week, group two of the remaining eight performers will take to the stage, hoping to sing their hearts out for the coveted top 10 spot in Mzansi’s biggest singing competition.
The main question, though, is who will be next week’s guest judge, and will there ever be a permanent judge number three? We’ll just have to wait and see.
