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Noma Khumalo and Thami Shobede

IDOLS SA finalist Thami Shobede has made a stunning debut on iTunes with his single Sthandwa, shooting up to number one moments after he performed it on the Mzansi Magic reality show this past Sunday.

Gallo Record Company will be releasing the winning Idol’s album in digital and physical form shortly after the finals this Sunday.

Additional new material from some of the popular contestants from Idols season 12 will also be recorded.But before the grand finale at Carnival City in Brakpan, east of Johannesburg on Sunday, it is a jam-packed week for the last two Idols hopefuls standing as Thami and Noma Khumalo go for the crown.

They are crisscrossing SA with interviews in Cape Town and meet and greet sessions in their home province of KwaZulu-Natal. Noma is from Pietermaritzburg while Thami is from Mtubatuba, near St Lucia, KZN.

Speaking from the set of her new music video of the single Want It To Feel Like It Did With You, Noma said she was nervous and anxious about the results on Sunday but she looked forward to singing a few duets with Thami that they are rehearsing.

“All we can do is hope and pray that the nation has our backs. We’ve mixed emotions and we’re going through a lot as we prepare.”

Reflecting on the show on Sunday, Noma said it did not immediately kick in that she was in the final 2.

“Thami was crying when we were on stage and there I was holding back my tears and thinking ‘one of us has to be strong’ and when we got backstage, he was okay and I started crying,” she laughed.

“We both want to win. At the same time we know there can only be one winner.”

Thami said the roadshow would give him time to spend with his grandmother MaNcube, who will meet him in Durban today.

“It’d mean so much for me to see my grandmother. She’s the heart of the family. I believe that I got this far in my life because my grandfather spoke blessings on me, he always wished me well and in his absence since he passed away, my grandmother took that place,” said Thami. He said after singing his single last Sunday, he went backstage and cried.

“I realised how much I’ve been through in my life. Since I fell out of Idols last year, I experienced a lot of hurt, but I kept my head up.

“I believe this was pre-planned by God himself and that going back to try Idols one more time was like going back to life. Even now as I shoot this video for my song Sthandwa, I can’t believe it’s happening.” —Sowetan