Idols winner Yanga Sobetwa on her life’s vision, big dreams including a PhD and starting a music academy – and 'freezing' her R1 million prize money.

The season 14 winner of Idols, Yanga Sobetwa (17) has big plans for her life that includes going into entertainment law, getting her PhD in music, opening her own production company, and starting a music academy - but first she's going to "freeze" her R1 million winnings, work on releasing her debut album with Gallo and go on tour.

In the record-breaking 14th season of the show produced by [sic] Entertainment that once again saw huge ratings on M-Net's Mzansi Magic channel on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV service on Sunday nights and again shattered the voting-record with more than 142 million overall votes cast, Yanga Sobetwa as the youngest contestant this season, faced off against Thato Makape as the oldest.

The young woman from Delft, living close to the 13th season's winner Paxton Fielies - who have found huge success the past year, continue to sing to sellout crowds and even performed for the queen of Sweden in April - went on to clinch the title on Sunday night in front of a a packed audience at Carnival City in the live broadcast.

"I'm a girl from locations - very simple - and I feel I don't deserve to be here at all. I did nothing to deserve to be here but I feel really blessed that people feel that I deserve to be here. And I feel really privileged and really blessed and it's really humbling," said Yanga Sobetwa at the Idols finale post-show press conference on Sunday night.

TVwithThinus asked her why she got along so well with Thato Makape.

"Thato and I weren't so close at the beginning of the competition but as Idols continued as we both worked together with the duets and everything, I got to know him more and we both shared about our lives, and it's been nice he's a great guys and he deserves to be wherever he is now."

Asked about her plans and what's coming next she said "I'm planning to continue with my studies. I am a book girl. I have so many skills and dreams that I want to fulfill, like entertainment law. So I'm planning on continuing my studies. I'm planning on freezing the money for up to a year and to just live off of the gig money and possible sponsorships."

"My 10 year plan that I've planned way before Idols is that I'd like to have a PhD degree in music, and I'd like to open my own production company and a music academy as well - that's what I definitely still want to do," said Yanga Sobetwa.

"I've always had a vision for myself. My vision is to bring teenagers closer to God through music, so it's been the vision before Idols and it doesn't have to change now. So gospel all the way and gospel pop".

TVwithThinus asked Yanga Sobetwa what her family has meant to her during the competition and how it felt bringing them with her into this new TV and entertainment industry that she has now become part of.

"I went to the audition and I was alone with my big sister and my dad," she explains.

"They're were very supportive from the get-go. And then as the competition went on, I ended up in the Top 16, then my mom came into play as well and she was like 'This is actually working!'. And every Sunday when I saw them in the crowd I felt like my heart was melting because not many 17-year old get to make their parents proud."

"The other day I saw my parents in a photo in the newspaper and my dad was smiling. And I felt my heart just melting and I cried. I feel really humbled to have been in Idols as a competition because my parents are really proud."


ALSO READ: Idols runner-up Thato Makape: 'All of us in Postmasburg are winners because we came second in the greatest music competition show.'
ALSO READ: Yanga Sobetwa (17) from Delft the season 14 Idols winner as the show pulls a record-setting 142 million votes. 
ALSO READ: 142 million votes: Why the record-breaking Idols keeps growing as the [sic] Entertainment produced singing reality competition show on Mzansi Magic prepares for its 15th season.

Yanga Sobetwa (17) from Delft the season 14 Idols winner as the show pulls a record-setting 142 million votes.

Yanga Sobetwa (17) from Delft in Cape Town on Sunday night was announced the winner of the 14th season of Idols on Mzansi Magic (DStv 161) with the hit series produced by [sic] Entertainment that was renewed for a 15th season and pulled a new record-setting 142 million votes for the season.

Yanga Sobetwa becomes the second consecutive contestant from the Western Cape to win the title after last year's Paxton Fielies.

"I can't put into words how I feel right now, but I can say it in song," said a shocked Yanga Sobetwa a few seconds after her name was called, before bursting into a gratitude chorus in the 14th season finale that was a live broadcast done from Carnival City, Johannesburg.

The Big Top Arena music spectacular included pyrotechnics, motorbikes, a jungle feel, protests, a riot of colour and a glimpse of an Africa reimagined with guest performances by DJ Black Coffee, DJ Tira, AKA, Okmalumkoolkat, Prince Bulo, Kid X, Kwesta, Mlindo, Kwesta, Thabsie and Sfeesoh performed, along with Paxton Fielies.

"Idols season 14 has beaten all our expectations; surpassing a 100 million votes is a landmark achievement for reality TV in this country," says Gavin Wratten, director and executive producer, [sic] Entertainment.


ALSO READ: Idols winner Yanga Sobetwa on her life’s vision, big dreams including a PhD and starting a music academy – and 'freezing' her R1 million prize money.
ALSO READ: Idols runner-up Thato Makape: 'All of us in Postmasburg are winners because we came second in the greatest music competition show.' 
ALSO READ: 142 million votes: Why the record-breaking Idols keeps growing as the [sic] Entertainment produced singing reality competition show on Mzansi Magic prepares for its 15th season.

Yanga Sobetwa and Thato Makape: It’s Youngest vs Oldest in Idols’ record-setting season 14 final face-off on Mzansi Magic this Sunday: 'It's all about the contestants,' says executive producer Gavin Wratten.

It will be youngest versus oldest in this coming Sunday's season 14 live finale of Idols on Mzansi Magic at 17:00 when Yanga Sobetwa will face off against Thato Makape in a hugely compelling climax for the reality singing competition that producers this year couldn't have scripted even if they tried.

While not yet officially announced as renewed for a 15th season, it's virtually 100% guaranteed that Idols will  be back for a 15th season in 2019 on Mzansi Magic (DStv 161) on the back of huge ratings and massive, record-setting voting and viewer social media interaction that combined, continues to propel the show into new, stratospheric heights on Sunday evenings and that makes M-Net corner office executives in Randburg smile.

Idols, produced by [SIC] Entertainment, hauled in a staggering and record-breaking 110 million votes so far during the 14th season, with nearly 22 million during the past week - an unbelievable number of votes for a TV show broadcast on any channel - let alone a pay-TV channel.

With a week to go until the end, the 110 million votes so far already far surpassed the 100 million votes there were in total for the 13th season.

Meanwhile the two utterly compelling real-life contestant narratives couldn't be more alluringly perfect for a reality singing competition such as Idols, even if it could be scripted.

With the season 14 live finale looming on Sunday, on the one hand there is Yanga Sobetwa - at 17 the youngest contestant from the top 10 this season.

From Delft outside Cape Town, Yanga Sobetwa lives just a stone's throw away from the season 13 winner last year, Paxton Fielies, who have found huge success the past year, continue to sing to sellout crowds and even performed for the queen of Sweden in April.

On the other hand there's Thato Makape, at 24 the oldest contestant from the top 10 this season.

From the small town of Postmasburg in the Northern Cape, the young barber who left school in Grade 11 to help his sick mom, holds the record for longest traveller to an Idols audition after he journeyed a staggering 1 250km over days - using buses and taxis and all his money - to get to Cape Town for the auditions in February.

Both have their singles out - Yanga Sobetwa with her "Scars (All Over Me)", and Thato Makape with his "Blow by Blow".

"On all of the aspects of this show, Idols has become this fine-tuned racing car, and every week is a new race and we fine-tune it a little bit more. We learn from that race, and we do a little bit more and do a little bit more," Gavin Wratten, executive producer and director told TVwithThinus during a sit-down interview.

"Production wise the success of Idols is really just an emulation of experience and saying to ourselves that if we did that, we will look even better; if we did this, if we added that."

"We do try and bring in new tech every season. There's a couple of new light fixtures in the rig, with brighter lights; more intelligent lights, and we're doing some stuff with camera technology as well."

About the jaw-dropping, juggernaut voting results that keep growing week by week, Gavin Wratten says "it's one of the most exciting things for me every week".

"The contestants get excited about who's in and who's out. For me, it's like, 'How many votes did we get?' I'm always just blown away".

"If you compare the number of votes Idols gets compared to other shows that have voting it's just astounding and we're miles ahead. It's a rewarding feeling because you're putting in so much hard work, 7 days a week, and the viewers are rewarding us by saying 'Yes, we're enjoying it".

Asked how the 14th season of Idols has been different so far, Gavin Wratten says "I know I say this every year but it really is all about the contestants".

"This was a lovely group. They all get on very well, they are all very young, but they get on very well, they've been a pleasure to have around. They've been easy to work with, and they're also been eager to learn - I think that's such an important part."

"For me it's just about how much they want to work and do this, and how passionate they are, and how willing they are to push themselves. I think sometimes if you're very young, you've got to be careful about the songs that you choose if you're not willing to go to that place, but they've all been incredibly good."

About snagging big-name artists doing surprise guest-performances, the logistically massive overseas jaunt and the live season finale spectacular that year after year constantly raises the bar, Gavin Wratten says "I'd like to say it gets easier but it actually doesn't because you're always trying to make it better".

"You push yourself to make it better, so those things that were easy last year they're not going to be easy this year because you're going to be doing them differently. So there are always going to be curveballs."