Warrant Officer Thapelo Molomo is a psychologist at the South African Police Service (SAPS) Employee Health and he made it to the top of the well-known singing competition, Idols SA.

Molomo said that he decided to enter the competition this year because he felt psychologically ready, because Idols is such a big production and national competition, it comes with a lot of pressure and criticism, so he had to prepare himself psychologically.

“It was important to me to have a plan prior to entering, why am I here, what am I going to achieve with this opportunity I have been given on Idols as far as my music career is concerned, so it was about the readiness for me,” Molomo said.

He added that he started singing at a very young age and started singing professionally in 2012. It was his parents who noticed his talent.

He said his favourite genre of music to sing is afro soul and gospel, and he auditioned with John Legend’s Glory where all of the judges were very impressed and gave him a yes, which resulted in him receiving a golden ticket.

“The biggest challenge in this competition has been the pressure, we work a lot here and need to commit to our work, and it is important that I keep up with all the pressure that comes with Idols, the controversy and the interviews, but I am managing them very well because I came here prepared to undergo the whole process,” he said.

He said that prayer keeps him motivated every day - he prays for his music and for himself.

He also added that he is looking forward to succeeding in the competition and for more exposure and showing off his talent to the entire world.

He added that his ideal song to close the competition with, is the very same song he auditioned with, because it speaks about success that is yet to come.

“My motivation to anyone who wants to enter idols is that they need to come ready, not just vocally, but emotionally too, so that even if you don’t get what you hoped you would, you would still be able to stand and believe in your gift and talent and to continue to run with it,” said Molomo.

Furthermore, Molomo joined the SAPS in April 2021 and part of his duties include offering trauma debriefing, counselling and other employee health and wellness-related issues. The SAPS wished Molomo the best of luck on his Idols SA journey.

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