SA singer impresses 'American Idol' judges with talent and die taal
"Never thought I’d be teaching Katy Perry Afrikaans," says Stefan Benz after appearing on 'American Idol'.
Someone needs to call Charlize Theron and let her know there are now 45 people who can speak Afrikaans.
Aspiring South African singer, Stefan Benz, appeared on a recent episode of 'American Idol' and not only did he impress the judges with his amazing vocals, but he also taught them Afrikaans.
"I moved here just for my dream," the 16-year-old told Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, and Luke Bryan before his audition.
He then belted out Brian McKnight's 'One Last Cry' and got a thumbs-up from the judges who gave him a golden ticket!
"I mean, they're coming from every nook and cranny of the world. Is this called World Idol now?" Katy joked.
Luke then asked Stefan, who hails from Centurion: "How do you say you're going to Hollywood in Afrikaans?"
"Jy gaan Hollywood toe," an excited Stefan replied. Katy then repeated what he said perfectly.
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So, Charlize, that is officially 44 + 1 more person in the world who can speak Afrikaans.
Charlize made headlines in 2022 when she claimed in an interview that Afrikaans is a dying language.
"There's about 44 people still speaking it -- it's definitely a dying language, it's not a very helpful language," the South African-born actress said on the 'Smartless' podcast.
Well, it looks like Stefan is keeping the Afrikaans language alive and taking it to the world.
"Never thought I’d be teaching @katyperry and @lukebryan Afrikaans. Crazy!! can’t wait to show em what I can do," he wrote on Instagram.
South Africans are excited to see how far Stefan's journey on 'American Idol' goes - hopefully we'll see him in the finals.
"Love this for you! Proud of you!" actor Siv Ngesi commented.
One of Stefan's followers added: "All your hard work is really showing how great people are from SA boi ... Well done bud!!! Make us all proud. buddy."
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Main image credit: Instagram/@stefanbenzofficial
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