Cape Town - History was made on Tuesday night when Khaya Mthethwa became South Africa's first black Idol in the eighth season of M-Net's hit reality show - with more than three million viewers casting their votes.
The 25-year-old Durban-born hopeful was over the moon when host ProVerb announced that he beat his gorgeous rival, Melissa Allison, in the spectacular finale at the Mosaiek Teatro.
Mthethwa started his journey with a heavy heart because his parents didn’t approve - but they soon came around and he cherishes the experience, highs and lows notwithstanding.
“Bad performances” aside, especially with Usher's Without You and Aerosmith's I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing, Mthethwa's success was already in the making as he never found himself in the bottom three.
Let's not forget that Randall Abraham predicted him cracking the Top 10 when he first auditioned and wowed them.
At the press conference, Mthethwa commented on his fans booing Allison when she arrived on stage.
He said: “I want to congratulate Melissa. If I was in the crowd and I heard that I would have said it wasn't right. She has come this far and she deserves a round of applause.”
On speculation that the show was rigged to ensure Idols SA had its first black winner, Mthethwa says: “I joined the competition because I love music. Secondly, it saddens me that every time there is an achievement; it comes down to black and white or is political in some way.”
So how does he feel about winning?
“I'm excited. I'm still the same height. I thought something drastic was going to happen,” he laughs.
Like the title of his single, he is definitely going to Move... up the music scene!