From the jump, it was really clear that Nozi wanted to put in a good effort. From her acceptance of the Golden Ticket during the audition phase of the competition to her nerves getting the better of her while waiting to hear if she had succeeded during Theatre Week, it was made clear to audiences the Nozi saw the Idols SA has more than just a way to kill some time.
[Nozi wasn’t new to singing when she started down the road of this show: she’s been working as a backup singer for some time, but she’s clearly had enough to playing second fiddle to other performers, and we can’t say that we blame her: with a voice like that, she has more than enough talent to hold down the main duties of a show. South African audiences had plenty of opportunity to see that for themselves. Here follows a small sample.
From the early days of the competition:
Here she is showing off her vocal abilities with something a little more tender:
From the ever-popular Showstopper episode:
And – in this writer’s opinion – possibly her most powerful performance of the competition:
When it comes to some international recognition, however, there is one performance that stands out as Nozi’s greatest triumph, earning her an enthusiastic tweet by the song’s original performer, the great Jennifer Hudson:
Frankly, anybody could be forgiven for having made an early prediction that she should win. Her talent and ability to rise to the occasion made her appearance at the final as close to a foregone conclusion as you can get on this show, and it was only the likes of Thapelo who could have toppled her (although we should spare a thought for Mpilwenhle, who’s vocal ability can only be described as “sublime”).
Practically speaking, Nozi stands the chance to make a little more money from this competition thanks to her new single, ‘Idliso’ – which just so happens to be available for streaming.
In short, Nozi is just about the greatest contestant to take part in Idols SA without going on to actually win the competition. It’s been a high-quality season. So – how to say goodbye? We won’t. We’ll let her do it – watch this space for her exit interview.