The 24th of July was a big day as South Africans were glued to their screens to watch the new Season of South Africa’s most loved show, SA IDOLS. Thapelo Molomo, registered Trauma Counselor stemming from the humble Diretsaneng Village, Mokopane, Limpopo appeared on their screens. Anticipation rose and as per usual, viewers never know what to expect from contestants until they sing their first notes.

Thapelo passionately shares how he has always had a deep love for music but it was not until he joined the gospel group, Spirit of Praise in 2012 where the love plunged deeper and his music skills were honed. Perhaps it was no coincidence that Thapelo joined Spirit of Praise as he shares that his role model and one who he draws great inspiration from when it comes to music is none other than Gospel legend and Spirit of Praise founder, Rev Benjamin Dube.
Thapelo says it was never his intention to enter IDOLS this year, but after a friend asked him to help him submit an audition video, a light bulb moment hit him as he thought, “Why don’t I give it a shot ?”
“I had always wished to join IDOLS but had always been afraid”, he says. For IDOLS contestants, the fear of presenting your gift in front of SA IDOLS judges and the rest of the country can be nerve-racking, especially because one never knows how it will be received. Despite the possibility of an unfavourable outcome and also using his age, 29 which is a year from the IDOLS cut-off age as a booster, Thapelo took the bull by its horns and went for it.

As South Africans glued to their screens to hear the voice behind the man on their screens, a glorious symphony accompanied by a bold attention grabbing voice flowed from his mouth. South Africans, together with the judges were knocked off their seats as they listened to Thapelo perform, John legend and Common’s, Glory.
“I specifically chose it because I felt like I was in a shadow for a very long time, especially in my music; I’d limited myself and there was no direction…I sang it because it motivated me,” he says. For Thapelo, the song gave him hope that although he had felt like he was in the shadows, there would be glory in the end and that’s what he hoped translated to those that were watching his audition.
A glorious turn of events is what happened when Thapelo received a Golden ticket. “ I was so happy and I was like wow, this is the beginning of great things! Getting it meant so much; it meant open doors , it meant great opportunities, it meant exposure, ” Thapelo excitedly says.
Being on the biggest talent show in the country comes with access to a lot of great opportunities that can launch one into a career of their dreams. He shows great enthusiasm and says he is looking forward to the whole experience, learning more about the craft and receiving knowledge from those that have walked the path before. “ I am also looking forward to being nurtured in terms of my gift, to serve fans and actually respect them and just grow in the space of music together with people that support my music,” he says.

Thapelo gushes with gratitude towards the outpouring of love he has received from viewers since his audition. His audition has been making rounds on social media and he has received an outpouring of love from viewers all over the country.
The next time viewers will be seeing of Thapelo will be in Theatre Week. With great exuberance, he says he will definitely make it worth their watch!