Cape Town – South African teenager Stefan Benz was such a hit on American Idols that judge, and international superstar, Katy Perry, was moved to utter a few words in Afrikaans.
Benz, who moved from Centurion to the US to pursue his dream, posted a video of himself singing Brian McKnight’s One Last Cry during the audition.
Perry and the other two judges, Lionel Ritchie and Luke Bryan, were impressed with his performance, with Bryan asking him, “How do you say you’re going to Hollywood in Afrikaans?”.
Benz replied by saying, “Jy gaan Hollywood toe!”, which Perry echoed excitedly.
“Never thought I’d be teaching @katyperry and @lukebryan Afrikaans. ?? Crazy!! can’t wait to show em what I can do? #SteFANS stand up ??♀️??@americanidol.” he said in the caption of the video.
“I got the @americanidol #goldenticket. See you in Hollywood!! Thank you everyone for all the love and support. I see all the comments, posts, tags and my journey is just beginning. Let’s get it!! ?✨?,” he said in another post where he poses with his Golden Ticket.
View this post on Instagram
IOL reported that Benz said auditioning for American Idol, getting a golden ticket and advancing to Hollywood Week felt like a big step in the right direction.
Benz received an outpouring of support from many South African celebs including entertainer Siv Ngesi, actor Ramey Short and rugby star Cornal Hendricks.
Follow African Insider on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
Picture: Instagram/@stefanbenzofficial
For more African news, visit Africaninsider.com
Compiled by Matthew Petersen
