Idols season 9 auditions kick off in Feb

Cape Town - Idols is back.

M-Net and Mzansi Magic are once again co-producing the reality singing competition Idols, where hopeful singers will belt it out for the chance to be South Africa's next pop star.

The show, now in its ninth season, kicks off with auditions in Cape Town on 2 February.

Auditions will also take place in Durban, Soweto and Johannesburg.

The dates and venues for the auditions are as follows:

Saturday 2 February – Cape Town: Grandwest Entertainment World
Saturday 16 February – Soweto: Soweto Theatre
Saturday 2 March – Durban: Playhouse
Saturday 23 March – Johannesburg: Sandton Convention Centre

According to the channels, Idols Season 8 boasted the highest viewership numbers in the history of the competition and more than 2.9 million votes were cast in the final week.

All SA citizens between the ages of 16 and 30 are eligible to enter and must bring their ID books in order to register. Hopefuls who are under 18 should bring a parent or guardian along to the audition.

Musical instruments are permitted in the audition room. 

Idols 9 is scheduled to air on M-Net (channel 101) and Mzansi Magic (161) from 21 July 2013.