The competition on The X-Factor South Africa is close to nerve-wracking with the Top 7 prepping for this week’s show after the axing of girl group, Avodah. Debashine Thangevelo caught up with Sindi Ntomela to find out how the group feel about their elimination.
AVODAH’S vocal range place them in a league with some of the industry’s celebrated divas.
But the six-member female group comprised of Nonkululeko Cossa, Nondumiso Radebe, Zanele Nyembe, Phila Masimang, Siziphiwe Ndlovu and Sindi Ntomela were chopped from the competition in Saturday’s episode of The X-Factor South Africa. By the way, Cossa wasn’t on stage with her band members as she welcomed her baby into the world.
Ntomela, the group’s spokeswoman, sheds light on their journey together: “It’s been great. And, yes, at times we encountered challenges. But I think all groups go through challenges because there are so many personalities. We have a process. First, we disagree. Then we sit down and talk through things and, together, make a final decision.”
With all of them gifted vocally, the difficulty is agreeing on the lead for a song.
She continues: “With the help of our mentor, Oskido, we are able to constructively work out the dynamics and put together our performance. We enjoy singing and it is our ultimate objective.”
She describes who brings what to the table: “I bring the craziness to the group. Nondumiso and Zanele bring a sense of togetherness and calm. Phila is a quiet soul. Nonku is young, fun and keeps us on our toes – she’s more crazy then I am!”
On choosing Shining Star by The Manhattans for Saturday’s performance, she says: “It was a song we selected with the assistance of Oskido. The song was a perfect fit to showcase our vocal abilities. It was also a song we dedicated to Nonku, who has just had a baby. We felt we performed it really well.”
Although she believes they brought their A-game to the stage, it wasn’t enough for South Africa to keep them in the competition.
Understandably, the results were a bit of a shock.
She admits: “It feels like we were gone too soon.”
Fortunately, the journey has been rewarding in other ways, like the band getting to work with an industry heavyweight in Oskido.
Ntomela shares: “He’s like a dad, a brother, father, friend and mentor – all in one! He’s a well-known personality and so successful at what the does. It’s a privilege for us to have worked with him and we learnt so much. We thank God for the opportunity. He brings so many great ideas and he understands the dynamics of the group. He provided us with good direction, from our song choice, vocally, to our look on stage. He’s a man of his word.”
Although there were setbacks – which is par for the course in such a fast-track-to-fame reality series – Avodah also grew and evolved in their time on the show.
Where to from here?
“We are going to stick together and follow our journey as a group. We are not going to give up. The X-Factor South Africa has been a huge platform for us.”
Of the remaining seven acts, their Top 3 favourites (in no specific order) are: Four, a pop rock and R&B-inspired boy band; Eliezer, who, after a self-destructive past, is hoping for a fresh start – especially for his three-year- old son; and Gavid Edwards, who dreams of a solo career… and he has enjoyed some success already, having played keyboards for Westlife’s Bryan McFadden and Enrique Iglesias.
And so the battle on the mic continues to gain momentum.
The X-Factor South Africa airs on Saturday at 6pm on SABC1.