Paxton (singer) facts for kids

Paxton Fielies (born September 17, 2000), known simply as Paxton, is a singer and songwriter from South Africa. She also helps people through charity work. She became famous in 2017 after winning the 13th season of Idols South Africa. Paxton was the youngest South African girl to win this singing competition.

Paxton's Journey to Stardom

Early Life and Music

Paxton Fielies was born in Bishop Lavis, Cape Town, on September 17, 2000. She started loving music at age 7 when she joined her church choir. In 2013, she left the choir to focus on school. She then began sharing her own versions of popular songs online. Many people saw her cover of "Lay Me Down" by Sam Smith, and it became super popular.

Winning Idols South Africa

Paxton has said that her mom was the main reason she tried out for Idols South Africa. She saw 2017 as a year to take chances. She told WeekendSpecial, "I knew it would be a year of sacrifice. I could focus on my education or I could get into the music world. I couldn't do both." Paxton was the first person to get a Golden Ticket in the Cape Town auditions for Idols Season 13. She sang "Confetti" by Tori Kelly.

During "Theatre Week" on the show, her performance of "American Boy" by Estelle helped her get into the top 16. Some of Paxton's best performances on the show included "Over the Rainbow" by Judy Garland, "Careless Whisper" by George Michael, "Side to Side" by Ariana Grande, and "Listen" by Beyoncé. She sang her first song, "Demonstrate," during her last performance on the show. Paxton is the youngest person to win Idols since Jody Williams won in 2007.

Paxton's Idols Performances

Music Career: 2018

After winning Idols, Paxton was interviewed by many news groups. She also performed live and on TV talk shows. Her first big performance was in December 2017 at the "Cape Town Festival Of Lights." She kept promoting her music, singing songs by other artists and her own single, "Demonstrate." This song was the first from her upcoming first album. She started recording her album in January 2018.

On February 9, 2018, her first song with another artist, "Smother," was released. She sang it with Pop and R&B singer-songwriter Craig Lucas. This song was the second single from Lucas's first album, Restless. People loved the song, especially the music and Paxton and Lucas's singing. It became very popular and reached number one on many South African music charts. In June 2019, it was certified gold, meaning it sold a lot of copies. Paxton and Lucas performed the song many times, including at the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra Debut Gala. In March 2018, Paxton also performed at the Huawei KDay Festival.

In May 2018, she hinted at her next song, "Angifuni," which was the second main song from her first album. It came out on May 18, 2018, and got great reviews. People liked its Afro-Pop style, the words, and that it used the Zulu language. This was special because Paxton is a coloured artist. The song started at number 10 on the South African music charts and later reached number one. It is her most successful song so far.

On June 1, 2018, Paxton's first album, This Is Me, was released online. It was well-received, with many critics noticing how it mixed different music styles. Physical copies were later sold. To promote the album, Paxton went on a tour. In July 2018, she performed at the White Nights of Saint Petersburg Festival in Russia. This is one of Russia's biggest cultural events. When she came back to South Africa, she opened for R&B/Soul singer Karyn White's "Divas 2018" concert tour. In September 2018, after her 18th birthday, she went on a club tour to promote her album even more.

On October 15, 2018, "Where Are You Now?" was released as the third song from This Is Me. The song got good reviews and was quite successful. She also sang Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika at the Currie Cup Finals 2018 in South Africa. [1] She continued promoting her music into the new year.

Music Career: 2019

In January 2019, Paxton was on the cover of Club X magazine. She had been working on this since November 2018. In February, she opened for R&B singer Tamia's "Passion Like Fire" tour in Cape Town. On March 13, 2019, Paxton released "Kiss The Haze" and its music video at the same time. This was the fourth song from This Is Me. She worked with R&B/Soul and Afro-Pop artist Tresor on this song. People liked the song, especially its music style. On March 25, 2019, Paxton performed at the Musexpo in Los Angeles, California. Because of this performance, she might get an international recording deal. In late April, she was nominated for Best Pop Album and Newcomer of the Year at the South African Music Awards. In May 2019, she was featured on Pop/R&B artist Yanga's first album, Promised Land, on the song "Catch Me." On November 15, 2019, she released a new song, "No Distractions," with House DJ Dr Moruti. This song was not on an album.

Paxton's Philanthropy Work

In April 2018, Paxton went to the World Children's Prize Foundation ceremony in Sweden. She sang there with other performers from around the world and Queen Silvia. She and seven other young people received a special award. They became ambassadors for the queen's "You, Me: Equal Rights" campaign. This campaign teaches about equal rights and chances for all children. This was the start of her charity work. She went back to Sweden for the 2019 ceremony in May. Paxton and the seven other ambassadors from Cape Town performed there. After their trip in 2018, they wrote essays about girls' rights. These essays were printed in The Globe, a World Children's Prize magazine, in 2019.

With help from the Western Cape Department of Education, Paxton, MEC Debbie Schäfer, and radio DJ Carl Wastie started an anti-bullying campaign in August 2018. It was called "Raise your voice, not your phone." This campaign teaches people about the dangers of bullying and sharing videos of bullying online. Paxton has also performed at concerts to help others. These include the "CHOC Benefit Concert," which raises awareness for children with cancer, and the "Euwin Stevens Benefit Concert" on Mandela Day, which teaches about the importance of education.

In August 2019, Paxton and Pop singer Jarrad Ricketts teamed up with Peninsula School Feeding Associations. They worked to raise awareness about children who don't have enough food. Their campaign asked people to donate to help feed local children.

Paxton's Personal Life

Paxton has paused her high school studies to focus on her music career.

In late 2018, she faced some online teasing when a Facebook meme creator made fun of her looks and background. After a few months, she spoke out about it. She told Times Live, "My mom always says whatever happens in your childhood or teenage years stays with you forever. It hurts young people's self-esteem."

Paxton's Music

Studio Albums

• This Is Me (2018)
• 23:23 (2023)

Singles

• Demonstrate (2017) (From This Is Me)
• Smother (with Craig Lucas) (2018) (From Restless - Craig Lucas)
• Angifuni (2018) (From This Is Me)
• Where Are You Now? (2018) (From This Is Me)
• Kiss The Haze (with Tresor) (2019) (From This Is Me)
• So High (with Shekhinah) (2023)(from “23:23”)
• Be There (with Majorsteez) (2023) (from "23:23")
• Touch & Go (2023) (from 23:23)
• No Distractions (with Dr Moruti) (2019) (Not on an Album)

Paxton's Music Videos

As the Main Artist

Concert Tours Paxton Opened For

• Karyn White – Divas 2018 (2018)
• Tamia – Passion Like Fire Tour (2019)

Awards and Nominations