The winner of the 2013 Idols SA competition will be announced tomorrow after a 14-week nationwide search.
Graskop’s 19-year-old Brenden Ledwaba and eMalahleni’s Musa Sukwene, 26, are the remaining contestants.
The two Mpumalanga singers performed three songs each last night. The producers of the show asked them each to choose a song they had enjoyed performing during the competition.
Ledwaba went with Rihanna’s Stay while Sukwene was happy redoing Marvin Gaye’s classic Sexual Healing.
Both contestants got almost equal praise from the judges and the almost uncontrollable crowd.
The singers were also given songs to perform which the Idols SA producers felt were popular during their run in the competition.
This saw Ledwaba perform Nigerian singer Asa’s Jailer, which showed off his bass guitar and piano skills.
His female fans loved every minute of it, and all the judges – Unathi Msengana, Gareth Cliff and Randall Abrahams – commended his efforts.
Sukwene replied with an impressive performance of Ringo’s Ndiyagodola.
The song exposed the numerous layers of his powerful voice – from the deep, rasp baritone to the crisp falsettos. Although people had seen him perform it before, it was evident they enjoyed it more this time around.
To close the show, in keeping with an Idols SA tradition, the two contestants were given new songs from Universal Music to perform.
Ledwaba came out first with Fingerprints. Compared to his two earlier performances, Ledwaba didn’t connect with his fans on this one.
He was visibly unsure and uncomfortable with the song choice as his strengths are in ballads and not pop songs.
Sukwene seemed to cash in on Ledwaba’s misfortune as he performed I Still Feel It, a catchy, slow jam that described the ingredients of everlasting love.
Judging by the standing ovation he received, it was obvious the night was his.
The voting lines for the Top 2 are open and will stay open until 10pm. The winner will walk away with more than R1 million in prizes and a recording deal with Universal Music.
The live finale will be broadcast on M-Net (DStv channel 101) and Mzansi Magic (DStv channel 161) tomorrow at 7.30pm.
There will be live performances from AKA, The Parlotones, ChianoSky, MiCasa, Khuli Chana and the top two finalists.
Tickets for that show are on sale at Computicket. - The Star