- On Sunday, 11 September, Idols SA announced their Top 10 contestants.
- Two of the top 12 contestants, Nandi and Hope, did not make it into the next round of the singing competition.
- Nandi says she will return to the show because she believes she would be much stronger in a new season.
Idols SA Top 12 contestant Nandi Ndathane hopes that the second time will be the charm as she plans to audition for another season of Idols SA after not making it to the Top 10.
The 21-year-old, who got booted off the show alongside Hope Mkhwanazi, says that although she’s disappointed about not making it to the next round of the competition, she is now motivated to work harder and will return to the show.
“To be honest, I feel a little disappointed and very sad about not making it to the Top 10 but at the end of the day it is a competition and there is only one winner. But I’m very happy to have made it this far and will forever be grateful for being given a chance,” she says.
“I’d definitely audition again because I feel that maybe the next time I come back, I’ll come back stronger. I would definitely give myself another chance to try Idols again,” she adds.
READ MORE | Thembi Seete on being an Idols SA judge: ‘The aim is to empower people and not break them’
Nandi tells us more about her experience on the show, her musical journey and plans for the future.
Please tell us about your experience on Idols SA and what it was like.
My Idols experience has been amazing. It was a lot of hard work but you get to learn a lot of things about the industry, so I’d say it was a very amazing experience.
What made you decide to enter the show?
I felt that this was the right time for me to try Idols and I also just wanted to change my life by focusing on my music career. I knew that Idols is a competition that can change somebody’s life so my heart just told me to enter this year and I followed it.
How did you feel when you made it to the Top 12 round?
I was over the moon! It was such exciting news and I could not believe it because this is such a big opportunity so it was just a blessing.
Given another chance, is there anything you would’ve done differently? If so, what?
I do feel like I worked really hard in the competition because Idols teaches you about hard work and consistency, but, given another chance I do feel like there’s room for improvement and I’m willing to learn and to improve my craft. I really feel that I need to work on myself and on my voice to come back as a better musician.
Which round of the competition was your favourite and why?
I really enjoyed the duets with the guest artists, that was awesome. We got the opportunity to work with artists that are really doing well in our country right now so it was such an honour to share a stage with Boohle, Kelly Khumalo, Mduduzi and Nomfundo Moh. That was my favourite moment.
What are some of your highlights from the show?
After performing with the guest artist, my other highlight was getting to work with the Idols band. The band is just so awesome and out of this world and I really enjoyed working with them. The whole production just highlighted my whole journey of Idols and that was my highlight of the show.
Where do you hope to see yourself in the music industry?
I’m hoping that everything falls into place and I become a successful musician. I’m hoping that my career flourishes and I plan to achieve that with consistency, hard work, discipline, believing and having room to learn more about the industry. I’m hoping for nothing but the best for myself.
What’s next for Nandi now that you’re no longer on Idols SA?
I’m just going to continue working on myself and my musical journey. Music is definitely my day one but I also want to go back to school to study theatre art because it’s something that I also really like. What’s next is me making more music and continuing to further my studies.
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