Idols SA's latest evictee Ty Loner will forever be grateful to his girlfriend Kelly for submitting his audition tape to the competition show without his knowledge.  

The 21-year-old singer came short of making the top three, with Nozi, Thapelo and Mpilwenhle making it to the next round.

In the beginning, he received a surprise phone call from producers that he had made it to the audition part of the show. This was after Kelly had secretly submitted a video of him singing to the show. Ty Loner had entered the competition before and made it to the top 30.

“I just want to say thank you to my girl[friend] for making my time on Idols possible – had it not been for her, I doubt I would’ve entered this season," Ty Loner said.

"Yes, she may have done it without my knowledge but it was all out of love and the faith she has in me as a singer. I appreciate her love and support throughout my journey… I really don’t know how to repay something like this.

“I am also grateful to those who believed in me enough to vote for me week after week... the greatest thing I took away from this journey is being given a platform to showcase my talent. This made me see the number of people who believed in me.”

The Johannesburg-born singer said meeting and bonding with his fellow contestants was one of his highlights on the show. His second highlight was gracing the stage and singing to a live audience at Pretoria’s Heartfelt Arena every Sunday.

“Thapelo was very much a support structure, being the Biblical guy that he is, he was always there to motivate us with the word, especially after the tough criticism we’d receive week in and week out," he said.

"Zee had the craziest energy, she’s like a generator that’s still switched on even when there’s no loadshedding... she had too much energy and that’s what I like about her. Ceejay was my roommate since theatre week, so he became my best friend through this journey before he left. Actually, everyone in the house was such a vibe.”        

Having faced criticism from the judges for most of his performances, Ty Loner said that his family's support helped him push through it.

“The support I received from my family was so amazing, they came through every week to watch me sing live at the arena but what got me the most was seeing videos of people from my street watching me perform via the use of a projector… they also backed that up by voting for me. Seeing everyone back me up like that was truly heartwarming,” he said.

He now plans to take over the Afro-pop and neo-soul genre.  

“I am a huge believer in God’s timing and I don’t think the plan is over, it’s only starting. Being on Idols was phase one and now the next phase is making myself solid in the music industry. I hope the support I received from Idols will be able to sustain me further in my journey. Hopefully, soon I will be that artist I have been working hard to be.”