The fight to score a spot in the Idols SA Top 10 wrapped up on Sunday night. The final eight hopefuls -  Sneziey, Nqobile, Luyolo, Zia, Treasure, Craig, Micayla and Innocentia - gave it their all.

We have selected five singers from last night to join the four (Dinky, Virginia, Viggy and Nolo) that were selected last week as our dream top 10. If you have noticed, Sowetan LIVE has opted to cast a top nine instead because the competition this year is very tight:

Micayla

Micayla is a vibe. She might be the youngest contestant in the competition but she has the most confidence, singing skills and biggest stage presence. Her funky rendition of Dua Lipa’s New Rules was so masterful that it didn’t feel like she was on the Idols SA stage. It felt like she was comfortable on the world stage – the kind of stuff you expect to see from pop stars at the Grammys. I have watched Dua Lipa perform the song live and Micayla would give her a run for her money. This was the strongest and most complex performance I have seen on this show, especially at this stage. Even uptight Randall let loose and shockingly gave her a Somizi-esque “Wooooo shem”. If Micayla doesn’t make top three, it will be the show’s biggest injustice ever.

Sneziey

Sneziey opened the show on a very high note with SbuNoah’s Ewe Getsemane and immediately set the bar really high. She gets a “yaassssss” from me. She had so much impact that once she was done I was looking for the original song on Apple Music. She took it to church on a Sunday and the end result was an explosive gospel revival. She belted the hell out of the song and left everything she had on that stage. The audience in turn fed off her energy and joined in. She was a crowd-pleaser and reminded us why Joyous Celebration is the biggest-selling music act of our time. Sneziey was simply a showstopper and it came as no surprise that Somizi threatened to cut his colourful hair and judge topless if she didn’t make the top 10.

Innocentia

I shed a tear during Innocentia’s take on Scars to Your Beautiful by Alessia Cara. It was the most moving moment of the night. She wears her heart on her sleeve and she sang like she was reading poetry. As the oldest hopeful in the competition, her maturity came through with every lyric. Vocally, it wasn’t entirely there and was shaky in some parts. But her rawness will keep her long in the competition.

Craig

Kudos to Idols SA for finally giving a mix of contestants because for years I have always felt like the show was tone deaf and dated in moving with the music times. Inclusivity and diversity is the content I signed up for. Craig gave the most current performance and will no doubt be a hit with the millennials. He is the closest thing to a rock star on the show. Choosing Sam Smith’s hit song Dancing with a Stranger was perfect in showing off his vulnerability and honesty. It wasn’t OTT; he managed to balance choreography, styling and vocals. It could have easily went cabaret, but he was smart enough to give the right dose of drama. Craig has so much teen spirit and represents everything that is right in this world. He made me smile.

Zia

Zia opted for Khalid’s song Better. But just like I pointed out with Dinky last week, I’m most nervous for these two come Sunday. She exercised so much restraint and control in her performance. While admirable every time a singer is that sure about their sound, for a competition such as Idols SA it can easily be misread as boring. So I’m going to ask that we form a chain prayer for Zia because she undoubtedly deserves a spot in the top 10. She has more to offer us.