A 17-year old young woman is currently inspiring members of the New Apostolic Church in South Africa with awe. First they picked up the telephone for their sister. Now they are proudly sharing her videos. A success story between church music and pop music.
-
Photo: Eyewitness News
-
Paxton Fielies
Photo: mzansimagic.dstv.com
-
Photo: NAC Southern Africa
-
Photo: NAC Southern Africa
-
Photo: Jessica Kraemer
-
Concert in Kassel (Germany)
Photo: Marcel Felde
-
Photo: Jessica Kraemer
-
Photo: Jessica Kraemer
-
Photo: Jessica Kraemer
A Swabian is busy in his kitchen making traditional German Spaetzle in South Africa. Joachim Schmidt from the south of Germany is on tour with the New Apostolic Church Motorcycle Association to support the annual Toy Run. The TV is running and all of a sudden the host starts cheering, “She made it. She won!”
South Africa has voted for its newest idol
She is Paxton Fielies, a young woman from Cape Town who dropped out of school to pursue her biggest dream: music. And her parents supported her. It was a risk, she says. But it was worth it. The 17-year-old has just been voted South Africa’s newest idol in the casting show’s thirteenth season.
During the competition of Idols SA, the young woman had her very own fan club rooting for her: her brothers and sisters from the New Apostolic Church. And they did more than cross their fingers. Even the New Apostolic Church Southern Africa mobilised support for her on its Instagram account as well as on its official Facebook page for music events.
It all began with the NAC Children Choir
“My wife and I have been following this for weeks,” District Apostle John L. Kriel said when asked about this by nac.today. And they were both eager to put in their telephone vote in order to help their favourite candidate move on another audition round.
“We are really proud,” the District Apostle said. After all, Paxton’s career as a singer began in the Church, specifically in the NAC Children Choir. At the age of nine she joined the choir, which is well known beyond South Africa’s borders. She was part of the choir until her confirmation in 2015.
Congratulations from all over the world
A bit shy but with a beaming smile: that is how people remember Paxton from that time. Shy and introverted is also how the judges of the casting show described her. But in the course of the competition she really blossomed and stole the judges and the viewers’ hearts.
Not only South Africans but people from all over the world are posting compliments and congratulations in the form of photos, videos, and messages. Among the many well-wishers are also people from Germany where Paxton Fielies spent her first international concert tour with the NAC Children Choir in 2014 to sing for a project called kids4africa.
Staying grounded
Paxton made the biggest impression on the people in Bishop Lavis, a Cape Town suburb, where she lives. A beacon of hope, they call her. Violence has become the order of the day in the community: unemployment, poverty, and crime. But the 17-year-old singer gives people hope, District Apostle Kriel says. Her success shows what one can achieve with determination and hard work.
Despite her popularity and fame Paxton is still the same friendly and modest young woman she has always been, the District Apostle says. He just spoke to her on the phone recently: “She is a very believing girl from a faithful family.” And staying grounded is definitely the plan for this young star. When asked what the most important factors in her life are, Paxton Fielies says: “God, family, and music”—in exactly that order.