Mthokozisi: People counted me out after Idols

As the dust settled around his Idols SA loss, musician Mthokozisi Ndaba felt a little lost. But after months in the wilderness, he bounced back to try show his critics that he was not a lost cause.

The star went to ground after losing the final last year against teenager Paxton Fielies, resurfacing a few weeks later when he was accused of assaulting a woman in a Hillbrow flat. The case was later dropped, but Mthokozisi told TshisaLIVE in those moments people thought he had ruined his career and would never bounce back.

"It was hard. People were saying all kinds of things about me. I didn't have much gigs and I wasn't going out much. I knew that I needed to be in the public eye to rebuild my career but all I wanted to do was sit at home and record or sing. That is all I have ever wanted to do."

He said that it would have been easy for him to fade into obscurity, but he started to focus on other projects to keep him busy.

"To make a name for yourself after Idols is difficult, even for the winner, but I tried not to think about that. I told myself that I may not have won but I can still use this as a springboard to go into other things. I moved back to Durban and refocused."

He soon after auditioned for soapie Uzalo and started working his radio dream, joining a local radio station.

"People counted me out after Idols and I wanted to prove them wrong. I wanted to show them that I was multi-talented. I wanted to show them I could act, and sing, and present. That I wasn't going to disappear." 

Now, carving out his own path, he said he wants to make more of an impact in the industry

"It's been difficult but it's a fresh start.  A new way to introduce myself," he added.