Heinz Is The Idol!

Last night (16 June) Heinz Winckler was crowned South Africa’s first Idol! The hunk from Stellenbosch won out in the hugely popular televised competition, beating out Brandon, Melanie and 8000 other hopefuls to emerge the victor…

After hundreds of songs, millions of votes, a few nail-biting rounds and several controversies, Idols went out in a blaze of glory on Youth Day yesterday before an expectant and eager nation. At the end of the jam-packed show brimming with the highlights (and often hysterical lowlights!) of a memorable competition, it was announced by Sami Sabiti that the hotly-tipped 24-year old Heinz had taken more than 40% of the 1.4 million votes cast in the final round and was the winner.

In a press conference after a live extravaganza that featuring fireworks, sparks and confetti explosions, Heinz was asked what was going through his mind when the results were announced. He replied, “I’m still going through it, but for a split second I saw this yellow car!” referring to the cool Toyota MR-2 sports car that is part of his prize. The winning package also includes a recording contract with BMG, a management deal with Marcus Brewster publicity and R20 000 in cash from Steers.

Also included in an excellent concluding Idols episode was footage of the final three’s recent whistle-stop nationwide tour, and the scenes were akin to Beatle-mania, with enthusiastic supporters packing out shopping malls to get up close and personal with their favourite. “Dealing with fans on this level is quite an experience,” Heinz said during the show. “I’m not used to this kind of attention.” He should get used to it quickly, because despite the fact that the Idols series is finished, the adoration is far from over.

Last night Heinz, Mel and Brandon all sang three songs: two from previous rounds (one chosen by the judges and one chosen by the Idols themselves) and a new song that is to be released as the winner’s first single next week. While Mel sang “Every Single Thing” (which would have been the lead track on the double A-sided single if she’d won), Brandon and Heinz gave the country their rendition of “Once In A Lifetime”.

The tune was written by Norwegian arranger David Eriksen (who’s worked with Hearsay and S Club 7) and produced by Brian O’Shea (who’s been behind the mixing desk for legendary local acts like Saron Gas, Semisane, Sugardrive, Qcumba Zoo, Watershed and Fetish). It’s an extremely catchy slice of pop perfection, and BMG’s representative and the judge who welcomed Heinz to the music biz during his assessment of performances, Dave Thompson, expects it to outsell Will and Gareth’s record-breaking debuts (which have sold 110 000 and 107 000 respectively!)

At the post-show press conference Magicworks CEO Carl Fischer (who’d earlier described the Idols project as “massively rewarding”), told the assembled journalists that the show had outperformed its British counterpart in the ratings, and that South African audiences clearly preferred local talent - which Idols unearthed plenty of during its headline-grabbing run.

Heinz handled himself like a true pro during this media gathering, dealing with tricky questions about issues like voting syndicates and racism allegations with consummate ease; both Dave Thompson and Marcus Brewster are looking forward to working with an individual who clearly has the right stuff. And with nearly 6 million votes cast, they must be pretty confident that they have the people’s choice and a true star on their hands.