Jody Williams (born May 17, 1990) is a South African pop/ R&B singer. She won the fourth season of the South African reality television singing competition Idols on 9 December 2007 at age 17, making her the youngest winner of the competition until 2017, when Paxton Fielies won the Competition at age 17. Her debut platinum-selling album, ''Just Gonna Be Me'', reached No. 1 on the South African Albums Chart, and spawned three consecutive number one singles on the South African Airplay Chart: "

Love Is All Around "Love Is All Around" is a song recorded by English rock band the Troggs, featuring a string quartet and a 'tick tock' sound on percussion, in D-major. Released as a single in October 1967, it was a top-ten hit in both the UK and US. "Love I ...

", " Kiss of Life", " Wind It", and " Love Like This Before". Elements of Pop, R&B, dance and

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

can be found in her music. Jody has cited singers

Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer and actress. Nicknamed "The Voice", she is one of the bestselling music artists of all time, with sales of over 200 million records worldwide. Houston in ...

Mariah Carey Mariah Carey (; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. Referred to as the " Songbird Supreme", she is noted for her five-octave vocal range, melismatic singing style and signature use of the whi ...

and

Celine Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion ( ; born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Noted for her powerful and technically skilled vocals, Dion is the best-selling Canadian recording artist, and the best-selling French-language artist of all time. Her ...

as her main musical inspirations and influences.

Early life

Jody grew up in a home in

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

, South Africa, as one of three siblings. Jody has an older sister Candice, with a five-year age difference. She first picked up a

hairbrush A hairbrush is a handle brush with rigid or soft spokes used in hair care for smoothing, styling, and detangling human hair, or for grooming an animal's fur. It can also be used for styling in combination with a curling iron or hair dryer. A fla ...

and started singing at age nine. At age 13, Jody started receiving vocal training. She attended

Bosmansdam High School Bosmansdam High School (Afrikaans language, Afrikaans: Hoërskool Bosmansdam) is a State school, public English language, English & Afrikaans language, Afrikaans medium co-educational high school. It was founded in 1971 in Bothasig, a suburb of ...

in Bothasig.

Idols

When auditions for the fourth season of ''Idols'' arrived in

, she and her father jumped at the opportunity. During the six-month-long competition, Jody became known for her performances of power ballads by artists including

and

Christina Aguilera Christina María Aguilera (; ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and television personality. Known for her four-octave vocal range and ability to sustain high notes, she has been referred to as the " Voice of ...

. Her performances of Houston's " Run To You" and "

I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me) "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" is a song recorded by American singer Whitney Houston for her second studio album, ''Whitney'' (1987). It was released as the lead single from the album on May 2, 1987, by Arista Records. It was produ ...

" were raved as her best performances of the whole competition; she repeated them on the final stage of the competition. Jody also performed "brilliant" versions of songs originally done by male artists, including

Bryan Adams Bryan Guy Adams (born 5 November 1959) is a Canadian musician, singer, songwriter, composer, and photographer. He has been cited as one of the best-selling music artists of all time, and is estimated to have sold between 75 million and mor ...

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

and

Luther Vandross Luther Ronzoni Vandross Jr. (April 20, 1951 – July 1, 2005) was an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Known for his sweet and soulful vocals, Vandross has sold over 40 million records worldwide. He achieved eleven consecutive P ...

. Jody also did renditions of current hits, namely the

pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...

song "

Behind These Hazel Eyes "Behind These Hazel Eyes" is a song by American singer Kelly Clarkson for her second studio album, '' Breakaway'' (2004). It was written by Clarkson with the song's producers Max Martin and Dr. Luke. The song was released on April 12, 2005, as ...

" by ''

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...

'' winner

Kelly Clarkson Kelly Brianne Clarkson (born April 24, 1982) is an American singer, songwriter, author, and television personality. She rose to fame after winning the first season of ''American Idol'' in 2002, which earned her a record deal with RCA. Her debu ...

and '' Swedish Idol'' winner

Agnes Carlsson Agnes Emilia Carlsson (born 6 March 1988), known mononymously as Agnes, is a Swedish recording artist. She rose to fame as the winner of Idol 2005, the second season of the Swedish Idol series. She was then signed to Sony Music, through which s ...

's "

" – which later became the winner's song and Jody's first single. She also sang some songs originally performed by girl groups: "

I Don't Need A Man "I Don't Need a Man" is a song recorded by American girl group the Pussycat Dolls for their debut studio album '' PCD'' (2005). It was written and produced by Rich Harrison, with additional writing from Nicole Scherzinger, Vanessa Brown and Kara ...

" by

The Pussycat Dolls The Pussycat Dolls were an American girl group and dance ensemble, founded in Los Angeles, California, by choreographer Robin Antin in 1995 as a burlesque troupe. At the suggestion of Jimmy Iovine, Antin decided to take the burlesque troupe ...

and "Secrets" by South African urban-pop girl group Jamali. *Idols performances: ** Top 2: "

" –

** Top 2: " Run To You" –

** Top 2: "

" –

** Top 3: " Dance with My Father" –

** Top 3: "

Ain't No Other Man "Ain't No Other Man" is a song by the American singer Christina Aguilera from her fifth studio album '' Back to Basics'' (2006). Aguilera co-wrote the song with Kara DioGuardi, Charles Martin Roane, Harold Beatty and the producer DJ Premier. "Ain ...

" –

** Top 3: "On the Wings of Love" –

Jeffrey Osborne Jeffrey Linton Osborne (born March 9, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and lyricist. He is the former drummer and lead singer of the American R&B/soul group L.T.D., with whom he began his musical career in 1970. Biography Earl ...

** Top 4: "I Surrender" –

** Top 4: " Hurt" –

** Top 5: "The Colour of My Love" –

** Top 5: "

Black Or White "Black or White" is a single by the American singer Michael Jackson. It was released by Epic Records on November 11, 1991, as the first single from Jackson's eighth studio album, ''Dangerous'' (1991). Jackson wrote, composed, and produced it w ...

" –

** Top 6: "

Heaven Heaven or the heavens, is a common religious cosmological or transcendent supernatural place where beings such as deities, angels, souls, saints, or venerated ancestors are said to originate, be enthroned, or reside. According to the belie ...

" –

** Top 6: "

" –

** Top 7: "Secrets" – Jamali ** Top 8: "

" –

** Top 9: "Over & Over" –

Puff Johnson Ewanya "Puff" Johnson (December 10, 1972 – June 24, 2013) was an American R&B singer-songwriter. Born in Detroit, she emerged on the music scene with her singles " Forever More" and " Over and Over", which experienced commercial success in E ...

** Top 10: "

The Best Best or The Best may refer to: People * Best (surname), people with the surname Best * Best (footballer, born 1968), retired Portuguese footballer Companies and organizations * Best & Co., an 1879–1971 clothing chain * Best Lock Corporatio ...

" –

Tina Turner Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939) is an American-born Swiss retired singer and actress. Widely referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", she rose to prominence as the lead singer o ...

** Top 12: "

" –

** Top 14: " Run To You" –

** Top 12 Girls: "The Greatest Reward" –

On 9 December 2007, Jody beat out 21-year-old fellow

ian, Andriëtte Norman on the season finale, which saw a record-breaking 7,803,990 votes being cast. It was the first season where votes could be cast through the social-networking communication device " MXit"; hence the record-breaking votes. Jody was said to have the majority of support in both the adult and teenager fanbases. Jody described her song choices during the competition:

I chose songs I knew because it would makes my performances easier. I didn't want to try to learn a whole new song and then forget my words.

With most of the South African Idols fading after winning the competition, Jody reassured her fans:

I'm not gonna fade I'll always be there making new music for you guys.

Her winnings included a record deal with

Sony BMG Sony BMG Music Entertainment was an American record company owned as a 50–50 joint venture between Sony Corporation of America and Bertelsmann. The venture's successor, the revived Sony Music, is wholly owned by Sony, following their buyout o ...

, a Citroen C1, a Cardies hamper, cellphone and spa treatments for a year and Yamaha music and sound equipment among other prizes. From ''Idols'', Jody grew to become more mature and more confident with herself, and her performing and vocal abilities.

After ''Idols''

After Jody's victory on ''Idols'',

Independent Democrats The Independent Democrats (ID) was a South African political party, formed by former Pan Africanist Congress member Patricia de Lille in 2003 via floor crossing legislation. The party's platform was premised on opposition to corruption, with ...

leader

Patricia de Lille Patricia de Lille (née Lindt; born 17 February 1951) is a South African politician who is the current Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure and leader of the political party Good. She was previously Mayor of Cape Town from 2011 to 2018, ...

said:

Idols winner Jody Williams deserves special congratulations on her achievement of becoming South Africa's youngest idol. We know that she will continue to inspire the youth of today. To her parents we can only say, well done for raising such a beautiful, talented child. South Africa certainly needs more young role models like her. The ID will give her all the support she needs.

Jody was complimented by

, who told her, "Good luck for the future. I wish you all the best. You'll get there". Jody was the opening act for Celine Dion in some of Dion's first 9 shows in the South African and first overall leg of Dion's

Taking Chances Tour The Taking Chances World Tour is the ninth concert tour by Canadian singer Celine Dion, in support of her thirteenth French-language and twenty-second studio album ''D'elles'' (2007). tenth English-language and twenty-third studio album ''Taking ...

, which began 14 February 2008. She appeared on ''Idols'', then recorded her debut album, whilst still at

, in the

Milnerton Milnerton is a seaside suburb on Table Bay and is located north of central Cape Town in South Africa. It is located 11 kilometres to the north of the city's centre. Suburbs Suburbs/neighbourhoods of the greater Milnerton area include: * Bot ...

suburb of

. She graduated at the end of 2009. Williams performed a few songs in the 2009 South African Idols Finale including " Wind It". She represented the continent of Africa on the song " Everyone", the Official Theme Song of the

Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games The 2010 Summer Youth Olympics ( ta, 2010 கோடைக்கால இளையோர் ஒலிம்பிக் விளையாட்டுக்கள் ms, Sukan Olimpik Belia Musim Panas 2010), officially known as the I Summer ...

. Williams collaborated with four other artists, American

Sean Kingston Kisean Paul Anderson (born February 3, 1990), better known by his stage name Sean Kingston, is an American-Jamaican singer and rapper. He is known for his hit songs " Beautiful Girls", "Fire Burning", " Take You There", and his collaboration wit ...

(Americas), Singaporean

Tabitha Nauser Tabitha Nauser (born 23 February 1992) is a Singaporean singer. Nauser was born to a Swiss father and a Singaporean Indian mother. In 2009, Nauser placed third in the third edition of ''Singapore Idol''. In 2017, Nauser's song “Bulletproof” ...

(Asia), British

Steve Appleton Steven R. Appleton (March 31, 1960 – February 3, 2012) was the CEO of Micron Technology, based in Boise, Idaho. Born and raised in California, Appleton attended Boise State University, where he was on the tennis team. A lifelong aviation enth ...

(Europe), and Australian

Jessica Mauboy Jessica Hilda Mauboy (born 4 August 1989) is an Australian singer, songwriter and actress. Born and raised in Darwin, Northern Territory, she rose to fame in 2006 on the fourth season of ''Australian Idol'', where she was runner-up and subseq ...

(Oceania). She released her newest single (2013) titled "Cosmic Coincidence" which is her first single to be available to buy on iTunes. Two years earlier she released a Christmas single titled "This Christmas" written with the help of her sister, Candice.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Jody 1990 births Idols South Africa winners Living people Musicians from Cape Town South African pop singers