‘Idols’: it’s a triple yes for PE singer Silakhe
PORT Elizabeth singer Silakhe Oyo has advanced to the theatre round of Idols after accomplishing a rare feat this season – a yes from all three judges, including the most critical, Randall Abrahams, who has been increasingly hard to please.
However Port Elizabeth’s other hopeful, Aldrich Makanda, 26, did not impress. Both auditioned at Pretoria’s State Theatre. Oyo, 22, of Rowallan Park, performed Natalie Cole’s Orange Coloured Sky.
Judge Gareth Cliff described her perform- ance as a textbook good audition. “I liked that. It’s got energy, it’s real, it’s a good song we haven’t heard before. Great voice, good personality. You came in, started singing and it was just good,” he said.
Abrahams, who has been miserly with the sought-after Golden Ticket which allows performers to advance to the theatre round at Sun City, hit the desk three times as he said “Yes, yes, yes” before writing out Oyo’s Golden Ticket.
“No talking, no yack-yacking, just singing,” Abrahams said approvingly.
Oyo said yesterday: “At the moment I totally forgot about the judges and I just sang. I think that helped me a lot because pretending the judges were not there just calmed my nerves.
“They were all impressed and Randall said I had a great voice, a great personality – and he liked me. He topped that by giving me a golden ticket with an exclamation mark. I felt like pinching myself because I was over the moon.”
“The opportunity to go to Sun City is a stepping stone in my career. It will open many doors for me.”
Makanda, of Walmer, performed Animal by Neon Trees.
Abrahams told him: “You need to worry about the person who came before you.
“The person who became before you, they were damn good so even if you were good, you’d be bad. But you’re bad already.”
But Makanda said he was not well on the day of the auditions. “I think I could have done a bit better but I am not too distraught about it.
“As I was singing, Randall stopped me and said I would not go through. I was taken aback. [Judge] Unathi Msengana was also shocked. It’s not surprising that I only got a yes from her,” Makanda said.
Makanda, an entertainer in the Bay, said he had finished in the Top 100 in 2007. “I am not too stressed about not going through to the next round.”
Idols is aired on M-Net and Mzansi Magic on Sundays at 5.30pm.