Idols SA finalist Thami Shobede has made a stunning debut on iTunes with his single Sthandwa, shooting up to number one, minutes after he performed it on the Mzansi Magic reality show on 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 SA 2016 will also be recorded.

But before the grand finale at Carnival City in Brakpan, east of Johannesburg on Sunday, it will be a jam-packed week for the last two Idols hopefuls standing as Shobede and Noma Khumalo go for the crown.

They will crisscross the country, starting with an early morning flight today to Cape Town, on a media blitz as they attend interviews with several media houses and meet and greet fans.

Next will be Durban in their home province of KwaZulu-Natal where they will also have breakfast with their families and do more interviews and meet fans.

Khumalo is from Pietermaritzburg while Shobede 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 ., Khumalo said she was nervous and anxious about the results on Sunday but she looked forward to singing a few duets with Shobede that they are rehearsing.

"All we can do is hope and pray that the nation has our backs. We have mixed emotions and we are going through a lot as we prepare."

Khumalo said had been looking forward to a surprise visit to the school where she is a teacher, but due to time constraints the visit has been ruled out.

"I'm excited about seeing my folks. I haven't seen them in a while. They do come to the shows and hang around when it ends and I see them for just 10 minutes and they go."

Reflecting on the show on Sunday, Khumalo said it didn't immediately kick in that she was in the final of Idols. "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."

She said her new single was different. "It's something out of my comfort zone. I do like it, but it came as a shock. I was like, 'Oh my gosh, do I have to go there and have an attitude and be a diva'. I've had to put myself in those shoes and be that character the song demands. I hope the country can understand."

Shobede said for him the roadshow would give him time to spend with his grandmother MaNcube, who will meet him in Durban on Thursday.

"It would mean so much for me to see my grandmother. She is 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."

Shobede said after singing his single on Sunday he went backstage and cried. "I realised how much I have 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 preplanned 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.

Shobede said he immediately connected with the song because it's close to the music he writes. "And now waking up this morning [yesterday] and being told that it was number one on iTunes has been a blessing."

mofokengl@sowetan.co.za