Innocent Masque hails from the same region as the world-famous opera singer Pretty Yende Ying Mkondo (formerly Piet Retief).
South African opera singer Innocent Masuku may not have won Britain's Got Talent (BGT) But she is pleased that the opera genre has reached people who wouldn't have been able to see it if she hadn't taken part in the TV competition.
“I think opera is a really powerful genre. A lot of people don't like it because they don't know about it. Some people may not relate to opera, but it's not necessarily because they don't like it, it's because they've never heard of it,” Musk said. Citizen.
On a freezing Friday at midday in Johannesburg, Musk Citizen He was speaking during a Zoom call from Kent, south London, days after reaching the BGT final, where he placed fourth.
“My ambition to go to the opera house was because I knew the stage would be so big and so many people would have the opportunity to hear me sing… and also because I'm a person of colour and opera is usually associated with white people,” he said.
Having qualified for the final after a strong performance in the semi-finals, he thought he would at least finish in the top three. “I thought I could get third, second or first…fourth place was a shock.”
Also read: From Secunda to London: South African opera star triumphs in the UK
Britain's Got Talent
Musk wore traditional costume during his audition performance and said audiences probably expected him to dance and joke onstage. “When I started singing, people were shocked,” he said.
The South African tenor said that when he first made his debut, he lacked confidence after seeing the many talented contestants who also came to audition.
“I never thought I'd get to this point. The first audition I went to, there were so many talented people and I was like, how am I ever going to compete with that,” Musk said.
But in the semi-finals he lost to Hans Zimmer's I'm free now It has attracted the attention of many people around the world.
“Before I went on stage, my voice wasn't in the best condition. It was all messed up…. I was super nervous when I got on stage, but I had a big purpose to sing that song and capture that moment, so that helped ease my nerves,” he said.
His performance in the semi-finals was so good that he became the first artist to advance to the finals of the show.
“I'm really happy with my performance and the reaction from people around the world. It's something I never expected.”
In typical South African style, no one took notice of the singer while he was still in the country, but Mask's success has brought pride to South Africans.
“The reaction from South Africa was unexpected, I didn't expect people to see that… I felt like Bafana Bafana representing the country,” the 34-year-old said.
He said since appearing on BGT he has been inundated with requests to perform live shows, especially from his hometown.
“I've had quite a few people email me and promise to be a part of it, mostly from South Africa and a few here too, but most of them are in South Africa and will be flying in and out for corporate gigs,” the singer said.
He said his experience on the show had connected him with other South African expatriates.
Also attending Masque's finale performance was Jeremiah Nyamane Mamabolo, High Commissioner to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
“Through this experience on BGT I've been able to connect with so many South Africans here and across the country.”
Musk used his South African connections to encourage people to vote on the show, while South Africans queued to vote in the UK, as BGT only allows voting from the UK.
“They are [the embassy] “Innocents, when you come to vote, wear a T-shirt, print out a flyer and tell people in line about this election.”
Also read: Pretty Yende's moving performance at King Charles' coronation
Living in the UK
Musk has been based in the UK for almost five years since moving there to complete his opera studies.
He initially studied at the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) for four years before deciding to emigrate overseas, but said he struggled with funds when he first arrived in the European country.
“Financially I had some problems, but the Oppenheimer Memorial Foundation really helped me out and helped me with my living expenses. After that I was able to get by properly because my expenses were really high.”
He will complete his studies in 2022 and begin working as an opera singer later that year.
“Since then I have worked for English National Opera, Scottish National Opera, [National] “Opera, Garsington Opera … so I was working but not on a big scale, just small roles here and there,” the South African expat said.
Mr Musk is originally from Mkondo, known as Piet Retief, which ironically is also the birthplace of world-famous opera singer Pretty Yende.
“It's about a 30-minute walk from my house in Mkondo to Pretty Yende's,” he said. The two met when Yende hosted master classes in Europe and she has also supported Masuku's career.
Musk recently married his partner, Nai Chiswo. “In March, we went to South Africa for a traditional wedding and had a white wedding here,” he said.
He joked that he had hoped to win BGT and use some of his prize money on a honeymoon.
“I'm still figuring out how to pay for our honeymoon… but at least the upcoming gigs might help.”
Read now: Influencer couple Gogo and Mo work to raise awareness of the Khelobedu language
