From Idols SA Runner-Up to Gospel Minister: Mr Music Returns with "The Calling" -

FROM IDOLS SA RUNNER-UP TO GOSPEL MINISTER: MR. MUSIC RETURNS WITH “THE CALLING”

JOHANNESBURG October 2026

When Lungisani “Mr. Music” Mthethwa walked onto the Idols SA stage, South Africa saw a young man with a powerful voice and big dreams. He went on to become the Season 16 runner-up, earning national recognition and building a promising career in music. But the journey after Idols did not go exactly as planned. Now, Mr. Music is back but not simply to pick up where he left off.

He is starting again.

Released on 11 May 2025, his debut Gospel album, The Calling (Live), represents one of the most personal chapters of his career. Recorded live at The Playhouse in Durban, the album features Gospel voices including Xolly Mncwango, Oncemore Six and Nothando Hlophe.

For Mr. Music, the move into Gospel is deeply personal.

His love for Gospel music started long before television fame. Growing up in Richards Bay, he sang Gospel music as a child and was heavily influenced by his late mother. Years later, after experiencing the highs and pressures of Idols SA, he found himself drawn back to the music and faith that shaped him.

“The Calling” is the result of that journey.

Rather than continuing to chase the sound and expectations associated with his post-Idols career, Mr. Music chose to follow what he describes as his spiritual calling.

And now, the man South Africa remembers from Idols is stepping into a completely different chapter artist, worshipper and Gospel minister.

A NEW CHAPTER

This October, Mr. Music will headline the music ministry at the three-day Benny Hinn Healing the Nations Crusade in Pretoria, marking another major milestone in his transition from television singing competition finalist to Gospel ministry.

For him, it is more than another performance. It is a full-circle moment. The boy who started singing Gospel in church is now preparing to stand on an international Gospel platform.

“I’ve had to understand that my journey isn’t only about being an artist,” says Mr. Music. “There is a bigger purpose behind the voice God gave me.”

His story is ultimately one of faith, loss, reinvention and finding the courage to begin again.

After becoming a household name through Idols SA, Mr. Music could have remained on the same path. Instead, he chose another one. And with The Calling, he is inviting South Africa to hear the difference.