Everything Mellow

me. I was composing songs and performing with bands from 1990, but my music career really took off after I took part in the very first season of Idols, South Africa. I was fortunate enough to make it all the way to the final 3 alongside Heinz Winckler and Brandon October as one of the runner ups to the winner. I hit the ground running and took advantage of the publicity afforded me by the reality TV show. Over the years since, I have recorded and released 5 EPs, 3 full albums and I’ve contributed to songs on Watershed albums. I’ve had several singles on radio stations that hit the top 10, or reached number 1. One of those singles was the hugely successful Island’s in the Stream, with well known, and talented South African artist, Garth Taylor. We toured together, countrywide, for several months. Another single, the theme song for Big Brother 2, Cabin Fever won myself and Ezra Lingeveldt, a fellow Idols top 11 finalist, a SAMA (South African Music Award) for Best Single. My second album, Unspoken Truth, was nominated for a SAMA alongside artists like Louise Carver, Freshly Ground and Watershed in the best adult contemporary album category. My first album, Yesterday’s Diary has sold almost 20 000 copies and is still my most popular album to date. MELLOW MUSIC

I Choose Me, my third album was co-produced by myself and John Ellis, the incredibly talented front man of the hugely successful band, Tree63. It was released through my own record label, Mellow Music, and I am privileged to say that his INCREDIBLE guitar playing skills can be heard in many of my songs on that album as well. The two of us definitely can’t take all of the credit for the album production. It was a huge honour and pleasure to work alongside incredibly talented musicians on I Choose Me. Josh Klynsmith, who is the drummer of Gangs of Ballet, is one of the most talented drummers I have ever worked with. He is also an all-round, extremely gifted musician. He played drums on the album, but he also contributed many brilliant suggestions to my songs that weren’t drumming related. Darryl Swart, also an extremely talented drummer for the band Tree63, currently a member of the successful Canadian band Rooks and a personal friend since my childhood, contributed to the percussion while he was back in the country. Andy Turrell, a well known, and extremely gifted musician, played the beautiful pedal steel in Song for Kelly, a song especially close to my heart, and Krystle T a well known South African songstress, and longtime friend, sang my duet, You’ll Know, with me and contributed to backing vocals as well. I toured constantly, barely taking a break. I lived out of a suitcase for years and slept in hotels more than in my own bed! I loved it. It had been a dream of mine for so many years and not many people get to live their dreams. I got to Live the Music for many years and get my original songs out there. I performed, and, in some cases, toured, alongside incredible artists, musicians and bands. These included the likes of Katie Melua, Westlife, Sarah Bettens (now Sam Bettens, of K’s Choice fame and one of my personal idols and musical inspirations), Hothouse Flowers, Watershed, Wonderboom, Prime Circle, the late, wonderful, Lebo Mathosa and Theuns Jordaan, Nianell (who became a wonderful friend that I admire greatly as a human beginning and and a wonderfully gifted musician), Tree63, Mandoza, Freshly Ground, Sipho “Hotstix” Mabusa, Lira, Louise Carver, Hugh Masekela, Mafikizolo, Loyiso, PJ Powers, Wendy Oldfield, Springbok Nude Girls, Juanita du Plessis, Kurt Darren, Karen Zoid, Bobby van Jaarsveld, Chris Chameleon and Nicholas Louw. I have performed numerous times with The KZN Philharmonic Orchestra. The orchestra actually had several of my songs composed for them specifically and I performed them often with the orchestra. It was a huge honour, and extremely humbling. I appeared on many TV shows, doing interviews and a few cameo appearances on local TV shows. I spent a month in Cairo performing. I have also done shows in the UK at various, well known, venues such as Ronnie Scotts’s world famous jazz club, and The Bedford. It’s incredible to perform in a venue that has hosted artists such as Ed Sheeran, Ella Fitzgerald, Ben Howard, Van Morrison, Jamie Cullum and George Benson, to name just a few! I feel very lucky to have had so many wonderful experiences and memories to hold onto from my years as a full time artist and I’m so grateful for all the support I've received and the people who went out of their way to help me make my dreams possible. I’ve learnt to never underestimate the power we, as adults, have to change the course of a child’s life. I have been so fortunate to have the music career that I’ve had over the last 30+ years. Never, in a million years, did I think it would happen, and it was all because of one adult who told me I had a musical gift, and a teacher who saw my potential. As a child, I constantly begged for a musical instrument, but there wasn’t enough money. I was one of four kids and money was tight. I never actually thought that my musical ability was anything special. I just knew that it took me into a world where I felt safe and happy. Then one day, my family, who are all musical, were singing together at a church camp, and the pianist approached me afterwards. I was about 10 years old, and he asked if anyone had ever told me that I had a gift. I said no. If it hadn’t been for him, my story would likely have ended there. I kept begging for any instrument, and then, one magical day, my dad came home with a guitar that he’d paid R5 for. The entire body was cracked open at the end because it had fallen out of someone’s cupboard. It sounded terrible, but I was SO proud of that guitar. There was a teacher at my school who offered guitar lessons for free to those who couldn’t afford it, and I was over the moon. Because of her, that pianist, and my broken guitar, I ended up being runner up to the winner of the first season of Idols South Africa. It hasn’t been an easy path, and I’ve hit many walls and faced many challenges, but it never caused me to leave the path I felt I was meant to follow. I believed that I was meant to keep writing and singing songs, and it all started because ONE person believed in me more than I believed in myself. I have always had a passion for educating, helping and working with young people. When I was a professional, touring artist, which really took off thanks to Idols, all of my tours included performing at several schools a week. We sometimes were able to fit in 2 or 3 schools a day. These were not paid shows. Not for me personally, anyway. We asked each learner to contribute anything from R2 and up, to attend the shows in their school hall. All the money raised went to a home for children and adults who were differently-abled; either physically, or intellectually, or both. The home is called Little Eden. Please look them up and see how you can help. The shows were such fun for all of us, including myself. They were full of music, singing, dancing, interaction; between the learners and myself, and, most importantly, education. When it comes to making sure a message sticks, as well as a way to touch people’s hearts, there is no greater tool than music. Music is like a superfood for the soul. For many years, I used those school shows as a means of educating children about this amazing group of individuals. They are part of our society, and yet are often forced to live on the outskirts of a neurotypical society because they either fear those different to them, or because they have a lack of understanding. We raised well over R100 000 for Little Eden, and reached many children. I really hope that, what they learnt, stuck. My hope was that they, in turn, would educate their own kids. The song, If I Could, off my first studio album, Yesterday’s Diary, was written for my friends at Little Eden, as well as every other differently-abled person in the world. It’s written from their point of view, as a means of communicating with neurotypical people, in an effort to connect. I’d love for you to take a listen here. I had no idea, at the time, that I was writing the song for my future neurodivergent daughters, and even myself. Parenting special needs children happened purely by chance and they are the most precious gifts we have ever received. Music will always be a passion of mine, and am still fortunate enough to have many of my original songs playlisted on various radio stations around the country, but I eventually had to slow down when we started a family. For a few years, taking care of my little ones was my main priority, but, again, I started to feel a call back to music. It’s in a different way, but I feel now, that it’s time to bring music to children that need it. I now offer voice coaching and beginner guitar lessons for schools, as well as private students. Admittedly, it’s a big change from what I was doing before, but I have to say that it definitely fulfils my passion for teaching children something that will change their lives in such a powerful and positive way, as it did my own. If it can help just one of the children, to feel better about themselves, or give them an outlet for their emotions, then it will all be worthwhile.