South Africa’s newest popstars were announced at a smart function at the Sandton Civic Gallery in Johannesburg on Wednesday evening. They are the winners of the second series of Coca-Cola Popstars, the countrywide talent-search show that saw more than 16 000 wannabe stars passing before the judges.
The five members of the new Popstars band, called Adilah (“equal” in Swahili), are Karabo Motlhabi, Thembisile Ntaka, Letang Tlome, Refiloe Motha and “ladies’ man” Itumeleng Kgosana.
The final decision combined the four judges’ carefully assigned votes with the thousands of votes received from viewers.
Guests were first shown footage of the judges visiting the top 10 contestants at their homes, where they had been waiting with friends and family to learn their fate.
Tears of happiness or disappointment flowed as five of the youngsters fell by the wayside and the others packed their bags to embark on the road to fame.
After the announcement, Adilah performed for the first time in public. Gyrating sexily, they appeared a bit nervous at times but gave their best — unfortunately the terrible sound quality seriously hampered their efforts. They performed three upbeat songs, thrilling guests with a mix of R&B and funky beats.
Apart from a lucrative recording contract for the band, each winner also received a Mazda 6, jewellery and clothing.
Keith Lindsay, CEO of South African Popstars, said: “This year’s Coca-Cola Popstars winners are a true reflection of South African youth culture.”
Popstars judge Anthony Morgan agreed.
“We really have achieved our goal of finding a group that represents the street culture of South Africa. This year’s group is hot, and has a great feel and look,” he said.