ZAlebs chats to…Melissa!

How are you feeling?

I’m still very shocked and I’m very excited that I’ve made it this far. I still have to pinch myself.

Didn’t you think you’d make it this far?

I’ve been working towards this but along the way you see amazing talent. So you know, you start to question yourself. I compared myself a lot to the others – the competition was really tough.

How has the whole experience been?

It’s been crazy. It’s also been challenging and it opened my eyes to a lot about myself. Coming to the competition I wasn’t quite sure where I wanted to go in terms of my genre and so I’m in the process of deciding what works best for me.

What would people be surprised to learn about you?

I’ve been very slated because of the way that I look. People say, “Well ya, she’s got the looks but the vocals aren’t really there.” People will be shocked to learn that I’m very daring and crazy and that I actually can sing.

You say that you’ve been slated for looks – where do you see those comments?

I see it all over the social networks. I try not to look at those comments though. In the beginning it was very hard and I would take it personally but now I laugh it off. People will have their favourites and people want to express themselves. Sometimes I take some of the hate mail and I try to see where they are coming from. I try to take the good out of the negative criticism.

A previous contestant referred to you as being a judges favourite – what do you have to say about that?

Sometimes I think the judges don’t like me at all to be honest! The feedback I’ve received from them has been very up and down the whole season so I’ve never been sure what they think of me. So no, I don’t think that I’ve been a favourite.

How are your family feeling?

Oh they are proper proud hey! They can’t stop calling, they want to come up and support me all the way. My mom is also a singer so she’s really, really, really proud that I’m living my dream. The whole family has just been so supportive. I’m glad that I’m making them proud.

From past Idols seasons we’ve seen that you don’t necessarily have to win to be successful. Are you comfortable with the idea of not winning?

Yes. Idols sets you up with a following so whether you win or not, people have a basic understanding of who you are. So even if you don’t win there are still opportunities. You have to strike while the iron is hot, it’s not going to work if you’re lazy.

What has the Idols process taught you?

It’s taught me I don’t know it all – I can learn something new each and every day.  I think it’s also made me tougher – it has showed me how to deal with the public and the extra things that are going to happen when you are a solo artist.

Who has been your favourite mentor so far?
J’Something! He’s so hot!

ZAlebs chats to…Khaya!

What’s been the most exciting part of the whole competition?

Without a doubt the most exciting thing has been being able to perform on stage. I’ve enjoyed the grilling experience in terms of being pushed to the limit – each and every week you are demanded to grow. On stage, you are demanded to better yourself every week. I don’t think your career can flip in such a small space of time anywhere else as it does on Idols.

Have you decided on particular genre of music that you’d like to focus on?

I think even before the competition, I was really a soulful person in terms of my approach to music. What I’ve tried to do with all the genres I’ve come across is to apply my personality to it – it’s about putting your own personal touch to each song. I don’t really know what genre I want to go in to. But what I do know is that it needs to speak to the soul of a person. It needs to have some sort of meaning and substance.

So what can we expect from you after Idols?

I think we’re all looking forward to sustaining our music careers for the long run. One of the major things we’re looking forward to is having our albums come out.

What do you think was your best performance of the competition?  

Otis Redding – Try A Little Tenderness.

Tune in to M-Net (channel 101) and Mzansi Magic (channel 161) tonight at 19:30 to find out who will be declared South Africa’s newest Idol!