Listen up, singing sceptics
IF Idols SA finalist Thami Shobede wins the reality singing competition tonight, the first thing he will do is go back to the Grade 3 school teacher who told him that he couldn’t sing and tell her how wrong she was.
KwaZulu-Natal’s Shobede and fellow finalist Noma Khumalo, who will be singing their hearts out tonight in a bid to become South Africa’s 12th Idol, were both cautioned against following a musical career.
Actor and musician Shobede, of Mtubatuba, said if he won he would go back to his primary school, Sthebe Primary in Mandeni on the North Coast.
“In Grade 3 my teacher said I could not sing. I proved her wrong,” said Shobede, whose only formal training in music was in the military as a Scottish bagpiper.
Shobede, who has been a favourite with female viewers, said it had only really hit home that he was in the finals when he recently performed his single Sthandwa.
“After performing the new single I went backstage and cried as it hit me then how far I had come. I would love to produce more albums and DVDs.”
Khumalo, a former teacher’s assistant, started singing at the age of seven in the church choir.
“I’ve always had a love for singing. Teaching is my other passion. Teaching is to give back to the youth.
“My dad always said to me you must educate yourself first, but for me studying music came first and teaching later.
“Now that I have made it this far in Idols SA , my dad said: ‘I am deeply sorry for not believing in you. But now I can see why you wanted to pursue music’.”
The two visited their home towns this week and received strong support.
Khumalo’s home town of Msunduzi in Pietermaritzburg branded luxury vehicles with images of her with her voting code and number, and dished out flyers and T-shirts with her picture on them.
Umhlathuze municipality in the north of the province sent bulk SMSes to residents in Richards Bay, Empangeni and surrounding areas, encouraging them to vote for Shobede.