SHE'S got soul. That's how best you can describe 17-year-old budding songstress Rethabile Khumalo's performance in Idols Season 8.

Khumalo gave a magnificent performance of Adele's Hometown Glory at the weekend. Her guitar skills, which are complemented by a scintillating voice, make her a force to be reckoned with in the competition.

Emerging with the coveted golden ticket at the Sandton Convention Centre left her mother, Winnie, gasping for air.

"I am excited and happy for her but she has to understand that it is not all roses in this industry, it is tough," she said.

Rethabile said she was apprehensive about trying her luck for the second time after she failed to make the grade last year.

"The judges told me that I was still young and I needed to grow.

"This time my mother helped me overcome my nerves. I am ready to take the competition to the next level," Rethabile said.

"I have worked closely with my mother on her upcoming album composing songs and also feature on her album," she added.

Winnie said she was pleased that her daughter had found the perfect platform to showcase her talent to the country although she had already featured on Kwela Tebza and multi-award winning hip-hop act Deep Level's albums.

Rethabile wants to study entertainment law and is determined to cut a niche for herself in the cut-throat music industry.

The next phase of the competition, the arduous theatre phase at Sun City known as "Hell Week", kicks off in the Kingdom of the Sun this weekend.

One of the judges, Unathi Msengana, agreed that the Johannesburg auditions delivered the best results.

"I think it's because Jozi is the hub of South Africa's entertainment industry," she said. "The contestants have a good understanding of the level that we expect from them."

This is how the 89 golden tickets were handed out throughout the country:

- Gauteng (Joburg and Soweto auditions): 39;

- Western Cape (Cape Town auditions): 29; and

- KZN (Durban auditions): 21.