Khaya Mthethwa

Age: 25

Hometown: Durban

Occupation: Singer

Despite his talent, Khaya’s singing career got off to a bumpy start. “At school we were all forced to audition for the school choir, so from there my teachers would ask me to sing and I never really wanted to!” Khaya recalls.

Fortunately for Idols both of Khaya’s parents are pastors, so he pretty much had to sing in church. “That is where I fell in love with music and I decided that this is what I wanted to do…”

Khaya’s parents started their church in the family living room, he recalls, so he grew up sharing his home with strangers as his parents took people in – experience that will come in handy in the Idols house.

“Sharing and caring was the name of the game,” says Khaya, and it also gave him a wonderful role model to look up to. “I look up my father, he is my hero,” Khaya says.

“He taught me to be the man I am today.”