Simon Cowell signs star SA choir
TOP MANAGER: HE RATED THEIR FINAL PERFORMANCE ON AMERICAN SHOW AS BEST HE’D SEEN
Group’s website already features Europe and American performance dates.
Ahero’s welcome and a life-changing opportunity for the Ndlovu Youth Choir from Moutse in Limpopo could see them become a global act.
While they didn’t win the reality show America’s Got Talent recently, the choir announced on Thursday they had signed a deal with US talent manager Simon Cowell, also one of the judges on the show.
“We are very excited that Cowell and his company have exercised their option to sign the choir and, together with Sony Music in South Africa, are working on exciting projects,” the choir’s conductor, Ralf Schmitt, told 702’s Joanne Joseph.
“It is a wonderful compliment to these young people because he wouldn’t have done that if he didn’t think there was a future for them,” he said.
In yesterday’s edition of an Afrikaans daily newspaper, a profile on Schmitt revealed how hard the choir works and their humble beginnings.
Last year, the choir became a viral sensation when they joined Grammy-winning musician Wouter Kellerman to record a cover of Ed Sheeran’s Shape of You.
Schmitt says data and smartphones are not the norm in the choir members’ lives, and few of them even realised how much support they had in SA and globally.
Cowell, who helped ensure the choir made it to the final rounds of the American talent search competition, often uses the franchise to find new talent.
Some of the acts he now manages that have been on the show include British girl group Little Mix, opera singer Paul Potts and Susan Boyle.
This year the franchise launched a spin-off show, America’s Got Talent: The Champions, and it was officially renewed for a second season this week.
Considering the success the choir had on America’s Got Talent, it’s possible they may be included for a second time.
The choir’s official website already features contacts for Europe and American performances, as well as booking forms.
It’s no wonder. The group struck Cowell dumb with their final performance, which he called the best final he had ever witnessed.
The global response to the video on YouTube has evoked similar sentiments.
This week, the choir has been on a media blitz, having radio interviews and performing at a variety of events, including in their home town.