Clint Brink was at it again on Saturday night tweeting about the role that skin colour plays in the South African entertainment industry. He spoke about this in the context of talent shows and how so much emphasis is placed on the race of the artist/contestant rather than on their talent. Think Khaya Mthethwa, “first black Idols winner” instead of just “talented contestant” which he by all means was.
This had me thinking… Clint is really holding it down for the coloured musicians. Earlier this year during the SAMA’s he raised the same concerns and what I gathered from many people was that we genuinely don’t know our coloured musicians in South Africa.
So this post is a video compilation of five coloured musicians who I think are great.
1. Mathew Gold
Formerly Mathew Moolman, this guy comes all the way from Cape Town. He presented a kids’ show a few years ago, but quit to focus on his music. The first track I heard of his was a trackentitled “Slow” and I was impressed with his voice. He also recently did a song with AKA entitled “Ordinary Guy.” Peep the video below.
Matthew Gold Ft AKA – No Ordinary Guy
2. LeeAnne Dlamini
LeeAnne had been in the industry for a while before deciding to hop on a plane to audition for X Factor UK. She impressed the judges and made it through to the next rounds of auditions. Unfortunately she did not go really far in the competition, but she definitely became a more recognisable face here in South Africa. She did a song entitled “Cry.” Check it out below.
3. Mario Ogle
Mario could be a more familiar face as he was on a moderately successful track with DJ Giggs not so long ago. It’s entitled “Say Yes” and had the likes of Mika Stefano, RJ Benjamin and Zola in the music video. He comes from Harding in KwaZulu Natal and is currently working on his 3rd album. His second album entitled “Superman” also did quite well with the title track getting reasonable airplay at the relevant/relative stations.
4. Jimmy Nevis
Jimmy is another artist that might be a bit more familiar. He is also from Cape Town and released his debut album last year in November. “Heatboxing” and “Elephant Shoes” were quite big in Cape Town. Heartboxing however is the song that most of us know by him. Below is his latest effort entitled “In Love With You.”
Jimmy Nevis – In Love With You
5. Verd Eaton
Verd has been around for quite a while. I got to know him when he worked with a vocalist called Kerry Cherry on a song entitled “”Baby” which, once again, was quite big in Cape Town and Durban. He also did a song entitled “Never Let You Go” with Pitch Black Afro in 2007. He won “Best Male Vocalist” at the 2006 Metro FM Awards and was nominated for “Best R&B” at the SAMA’s 17.
Verd Ft Pitch Black Afro – Never Let You Go
Of course there are many more coloured artists out there, but I can’t give you all of them at once, lest you forget. Also, I didn’t include Clint on the list because you all know him very well.
What are your thoughts on these artists?
By Richmond Sajini
@richmondsajini