Idols SA Winner LUYOLO Yiba’s Family Speaks Out
LUYOLO Yiba’s parents were overwhelmed by what he’s achieved.
The 24-year-old from King William’s Town in the Eastern Cape was announced the Idols SA winner at the finale held at Carnival City, Ekurhuleni, on Sunday night.
His parents Nomboniso and Dumisani said Luyolo had always wanted to be a musician, but they encouraged him to focus on his studies.
They described him as a shy and humble son who respected his elders.
Dumisani said: “Coming from a big family, music is our thing and he sang in choirs. We realised he had talent but wanted him to go to school.”
Luyolo graduated as a software developer at Walter Sisulu University in 2017.
Nomboniso said: “He gave us his certificates and asked if he could follow his passion. We support him and know he’ll make a success of this opportunity.”
Luyolo told the SunTeam he planned to become a full-time singer.
“I’m grateful for this opportunity and I want to make the most of it. My journey on Idols has proven to me that everything happens because God wants it to happen,” he said.
Luyolo, who was shy throughout the season, shocked everyone on Sunday with his performance of Green Light by John Legend.
“I thought I should be confident in myself and forget about everyone’s view of me,” he said.
“We’ve come a long way, me and Sneziey, and we both survived everything that was said about us because we know ourselves at the end of the day.”
Among the prizes he took home were: recording deal with Gallo Record Company) R350 000 in cash from Telkom ) R350 000 from Mzansi Magic) R300 000 from Old Mutual) R80 000 worth of music equipment from Yamaha) R100 000 Truworths vouchers) brand new Ford Fiesta 1.0 Ecoboost.
