The X-Factor is heating up on SABC1. The three judges have chosen their final three contestants and this episode will be flighted on Saturday night. Therese Owen was on set to watch the drama as it unfolded.
ZONKE
NEVER let it be said that South Africa is a poor nation. Just take Zimbali on the KZN North Coast. The properties are mind-boggling in their lavishness. This is where The X-Factor judge Zonke stayed when her final six contestants had to perform for her.
I arrived the next day to witness her informing the nervous bunch of her decision, and what an emotional roller-coaster ride it was. I was reduced to tears at times, not even personally knowing any of the contestants. She looked beautiful and quite comfortable in the exquisite surroundings of the mansion. And, surprisingly, she was a natural in front of the camera. She took direction well, but was compassionate when dealing with each contestant.
When the first contestant was brought on, he looked nervous. The production company had given me headphones so that I could hear the conversation taking place between the two. I could hear him breathing. He was shaking. When he spoke to Zonke his voice trembled. But she was calm.
“I said to you, ‘you aim for the heart when you sing’. But I wonder if you can do live shows so I can win.”
He replies that he has grown. When she finally tells him that he has moved on to the next round, he is ecstatic. Even the crew look happy.
Off-set he was interviewed by The X-Factor presenter, Andile Ncube. He told Ncube: “We serve a wonderful working God. I want to call my dad. I wish my mother was still alive so she could experience this. I dedicate every experience to my mother.”
The next contestant was not as lucky. Again, before walking on set, I could hear her nervous breathing.
“I am numb. This means a lot to me. I’ve given up my life to be here.”
Zonke was firm with her: “You need to humble yourself. You need to know that you have to take your audience with you. I am sending you home.” Devastation.
Yet another contestant was called on and more scary, nervous breathing: “You were the reason I went to Cape Town; to look for greener pastures.”
The contestant was already crying: “When I have a mic I am outside of my body. I’m like a beast.”
“I can’t take you with,” said Zonke. At that point the contestant burst into tears and Zonke tried to comfort her.
“You need to tell a story when you sing and you need to work on your low notes.”
I had to take off my headphones and walk away because it was so sad.
Zonke told the next contestant they had been chosen as part of her Top 3. The reply was bizarre: “Thank you so much. I won’t let you down.”
It was then that I realised that the world of reality TV competitions is truly cruel. These people want the fame and the glory so very, very much and if they don’t get it their lives are destroyed. We watch and feel their pain and then, when the show ends, we move on to the Saturday night film and crack open a can of the best.
After the final contestant was told of his fate, Zonke looked exhausted – physically and emotionally drained. She disappeared into a room to be alone.
Having witnessed such an intimate display of emotion between her and her contestants, I wondered how the jovial Oskido would handle his turn with the hopefuls.
OSKIDO
Oskido’s house was based in the millionaires’ row of Clansthal, eMkhomazi (Umkomaas). It was right on the beach with an infinity pool in the front garden. When I arrived he was chatting with his guest, Kalawa Jazmee artist Theo Kgosinkwe of Mafikizolo fame.
“Ah, Therese! You are here!” smiled the jovial man.
The thing about Oskido is that as much as he has achieved in life, and he has achieved so much, he always comes across as a carefree student with no big plans for the future.
It is day one in the house when the contestants have to perform for Oskido and Theo. He has the group section of the competition. Before we even go on set I ask him how he would handle all the emotion.
“It’s part of the game. It’s a competition. If you are not chosen it doesn’t mean it’s the end of the road. I entered the Shell Road to Fame all those years back. They told me I was useless and must get out. If I took that seriously, well, look at me now. I run sh*t. It’s a good experience for them. They learn from the experience on The X-Factor. It’s not like Idols which slaps you down. That’s what is so exciting for me about this show. Part of me is about encouraging artists.”
I marvel at the way he always puts a positive spin on everything. Then I noticed his clothes and giggled to myself. He is often criticised in the tabloids for wearing so-called shabby clothes. But now he looked pristine in pastels, very Martha’s Vineyard, actually.
“Who designed your clothes?”
“I chose these clothes myself.”
I had to laugh out loud.
The performances on the whole were shocking and it is clear Oskido has a lot of work to do if he wants to win The X-Factor. Once they had finished he asked me whom I thought should go through and he agreed with my choices.
The next day it was decision time.
“Are you nervous?”
“No,” he answered me.
He looked good in red with a black hat. He started taking selfies.
On set they gave me headphones and placed me behind the sound desk. The weather was horrid so the shoot took place inside the large lounge. I heard Oskido ask for a pen and offered him mine. He looked surprised.
“Ah, Therese. You can hear me, or you can see me, or both!” he said, peering around the corner at me.
After he took the pen he walked away and I could hear him softly speaking to himself, rehearsing his lines. Meanwhile, the contestants were looking nervous and one had already started to cry.
However, the proceedings were not as traumatic as Zonke’s day. It would appear that there is safety in numbers. Oskido takes direction well and also added his own brand of humour. He accused the boy band of looking at each other like they wanted to kiss each other.
“No trying to kiss each other. Look at the chikitas instead.”
Overall he was very encouraging, as he always is when dealing with young potential talent.
Speaking to one of the crew about the near-anarchy that is Oskido’s character, he replied: “Oskido’s character is consistent and the nation knows and loves him as Oskido. He is laid-back and cool and does unexpected stuff, but that’s what makes him Oskido.”
“In the beginning we tried to put him in a space, but then we realised that he must just be himself.”
ARNO CARSTENS
WE drove and we drove and we drove and then we drove some more before we reached the edge of Oribi Gorge for Arno Carstens’s house. The view was breathtaking and in keeping with the KZN government’s plan to showcase this beautiful province.
Carstens looked handsome all in black with a black hat and stylish sunglasses. He is similar to Oskido in that he is a lateral thinker. Like Oskido he is a South African icon whose music helped spur on a generation from 1994 onwards. From the Springbok Nude Girls’ albums Neanderthal 1 to Afterlifesatisfaction, from their hits Bubblegum on My Boots and Blue Eyes, they took this country by storm. Their music was innovative and unique and leading the way was the tall, handsome chaos that is Arno Carstens.
The day before Oskido had related a story about how Carstens broke a rule and had the production company on the phone to Simon Cowell’s company in London in an absolute panic. Oskido laughs often, but I have never seen him laugh as much as when he told that story.
“The guy told the crew that rules are meant to be broken,” laughed Oskido. “Ai, that is one funny man.”
Carstens works with the under-24 group.
“The X-Factor is something new for me. It’s a totally different audience. The show is also different in that we get involved with the contestants which is great because I always know what to do with other artists, but I don’t know what to do with myself. There are contestants I like who are very strong whom Zonke and Oskido have thrown out.”
Has it been emotional for him?
“I have a heart like a stone. One moment you are in and then you are out. The under-24s are so young and they have their whole lives ahead of them. I was 23 when I got into this business and it was all about fun, gigs and parties. It was never my dream to do this full-time because when you are young you live in the moment.
“Back then with the Nudies it was just an impulse and a case of the right time and the right place. There was Madiba magic in the air and we were part of the world for the first time. “But this journey has been mind-blowing because it is so fresh and I love Zonke and Oskido.
“I have chosen young people who are funky. I’d like to discover a little Lebo Mathosa, but I also want not only a popstar, but someone who is original and not just in this country.”
After the photo shoot with Carstens we chill for an hour and survey the scene below. Oribi Gorge is one of the country’s lesser-spotted tourism destinations which is a pity because it is so very beautiful. It is absolutely green despite no rain. Above, birds of prey circle lazily on the breeze and it is so very, very quiet. I leave the rock star contemplating life and who will win The X-Factor for him.