By Lehlohonolo Lehana.

Tears of joy, sublime voices and a shocking plot twist: the first episode of Mzansi Magic's Clash of the Choirs SA season 4 had it all, and then some.

Making a highly-anticipated return after a seven-year hiatus, COTCSA is co-hosted by the electrifying duo of radio personality DJ Sabby and the multitalented Bontle Modiselle.

The competition reality show follows 9 celebrity choirmasters as they travel the country to find the best singers for their choirs. Each choirmaster – randomly assigned to a province – has only two days to find the 14 voices they seek, with the ultimate aim being making it to Gauteng to fight it out for a cool R1 million prize.

This week saw the choirmasters visit four provinces and there was no shortage of talent – or tears.

Award-winning balladeer Vusi Nova kicked things off in search of the Western Cape's best singers. After canvassing on radio and even at taxi ranks, his first recruit was a social media sensation who earned a spot on Nova's choir without auditioning.

The next stop was the Free State, where award-winning gospel superstar Zaza Mokhethi's first stop was a local church, with a young singer's talent reducing her to tears. Will her experience as a vocal coach give her a competitive edge in Gauteng? Only time will tell.

In KwaZulu-Natal, we followed maskandi megastar Ntencane as he grappled with the pressure of representing his home province in the competition, saying: "If the choir doesn't perform well, it will be on me." Ntencane was confident, because "when it comes to competitions, KZN takes it home".

The most gruelling auditions of the episode were in the Eastern Cape, where the first lady of amapiano Lady Du broke down in tears because of some incredible voices. Her auditions went well into the night and did not disappoint, delivering a touching moment which turned into a shocking plot twist that saw someone face disqualification.

Next week, we see the remaining choirmasters scour their provinces for spectacular singers: Prince Kaybee in Gauteng; Stoan in the North West; HLE in Limpopo; Langa Mavuso in the Northern Cape; and Khanyisa Jaceni in Mpumalanga.