Heinz Winkler is the South African Idol. He grew up the oldest of three kids. Both his parents are also musically inclined; his father sang in the church choir and played the drums and his mother played piano. At eleven, Heinz began taking piano lessons. At seventeen, he began the guitar. In 1997, he started to write his own music. Apart from music, Heinz also enjoys jogging, body boarding, and swimming. Prior to the South African Idol competition, ‘Hunky Heinz’ (as he has been dubbed by the South African press), was a student at Stellenbosch University where he studied law. He is now in his final year there. While at University, the singer learned the drums, sang in a church band, learned the bass and the harmonica.
Heinz beat out thousands of competitors to become the South African Idol. Like other winners from different countries, he has been experiencing a huge amount of success from his homeland. His debut single, “Once In a Lifetime,” has done quite well in South Africa. His debut album, One Step Closer, has also done well. In December 2003, Heinz began his step into the international market when he appeared on the soundtrack for the Disney Film, Treasure Planet.
On Boxing Day 2003, Heinz appeared on the World Idol competition. The show, which was filmed at Wembley Stadium in London, was broadcasted in 22 countries. Heinz sang a rendition of Aerosmith’s “I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing,” from the film Armageddon.” The judges were very harsh to the young singer. Criticisms included: “put more sparkle in your performance and you would surprise yourself,” “very average and you missed a few notes,” “I like your performance, but you will have to give more to win,” “you have a good voice and you look good, but you haven’t got natural charisma.”
The second part of World Idol occurred on New Years Day 2004. Audiences were disappointed in the judges treatment of the competitors. The creators of the television show admitted that there was a great deal of editing due to the harshness of judges. In a recent interview, Heinz stated that the judges were all very negative. Although the judges weren’t that impressed with Heinz, it is clear that the rest of the world was. It is expected that the World Idol competition will help make this South African an international star.
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