From pop idol to supermom: Jody Williams insists a musical comeback is far from a priority now
South Africans were stunned to see 2007 Idols SA winner Jody Williams perform the National Anthem this past weekend in Bloemfontein and this morning, she performed on the national TV show Expresso.
I reached out to find out if the mom of two is making a comeback, and all she said was, “for now we take it as it comes, the industry as you know demands more of you than anything else, and I want to much rather be present in the life of my kids and partner Nicolis Ferreira.
“We didn’t have the luxury of saying what we want to or what we didn’t want to do, our responsibility was to work no matter what. This time I’m thinking of me and the things that are important in my life.”
Jody, 34, hails from Milnerton and in 2007, she walked into an audition room and the rest was history. She stole the hearts of South Africans everywhere.
Before the time of trending posts or even tweets, Jody was 16 years old and turned 17 during her time on the hit TV show, and this made her the youngest South African Idol.
She had communities gather in parking lots, urban parks and even school playgrounds to watch her captivate the millions who helped her achieve her Idol status.
Her sweet personality yet powerful voice made sure people stuck with her no matter what. She beat thousands of other contestants and after winning the competition, Jody went on to perform with Celine Dion and travelled the world, performing at events such as the Olympics where she performed alongside Sean Kingston and other huge international artists.
Music is not the best form of income, and that we all know especially in Cape Town, or SA for that matter.
According to Jody, “I couldn’t see myself going through the race and stressing about what needs to happen next in order for me to achieve a better life. Financial stability is a difficult thing for people in our industry. This is why I decided to hang up my stage gowns, outfits and the very high heels.
“Right now I’m looking at the opportunities around me and if it works, I will take on more gigs. I have children and they are my priority, I have to put them first, so I am not sure how things will go, but when good things come, I will accept and grasp the opportunity given to me. I am definitely making sure my talent is appreciated and valued this time around.”
Jody and I have travelled and worked together for more than a decade and I know better than most that she is a private, strong and driven individual.
Her music plays on YouTube and radio to this day and still gives you that nostalgic feeling of 17 years ago. People still recognise her for the small dynamite that she is.
She says: “I am excited to see what will come of this, I am happy in my space, maybe soon we can release more music and share that with the world, but for now we are taking it one step at a time.
“The performance of the National Anthem was definitely a highlight in my life and it was overwhelming, an experience I won’t ever forget. It felt like the people in that stadium meant every word that they sang along to.
“I would really like to thank you all for your kindness towards me over the years and your support means the most.
“To all the supermoms out there, I salute you for doing you”.
dailyvoice@inl.co.za