As Heritage Month draws to a close, Weekend Argus, spoke to three artists who have made a contribution to different genres of music that has made an impact to many South Africans.<\/p>\n
David Kramer is a household name who has worked as a writer and theatre director over the last 40 years.<\/p>\n
Fondly known for the six musicals he created with the late Taliep Petersen.<\/p>\n
Kramer said: \u201cCertainly styles come and go in terms of popularity. I am grateful that my sounds found resonance with the audience and (my songs) have become classics,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hope I will be remembered for my body of work,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Kramer said he learned early on how important it was to find his voice and vision in the industry.<\/p>\n
\u201cFind your voice and vision. It\u2019s significant because to be an original artist, that is what you have to do. The rest is all imitation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He added: \u201cThe recognition of my pioneering work in the early 1980s and the subsequent musicals has given me much satisfaction.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the three decades of Joe Nina\u2019s music career, the afro-contemporary artist has garnered a number awards, most recently he was the recipient of the lifetime achievement award at the 2022 South African Music Awards (SAMA\u2019s).<\/p>\n
The \u201cZodwa\u201d hitmaker started his career when kwaito music began gaining traction in South Africa in the early 1990s.<\/p>\n
\u201cI believe that to date, people still love and appreciate the music I create, as much as they did back then,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cMusic is our heritage and it identifies us.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m grateful to still be a part of the industry 30 years later despite all its changes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Over the years, he has learned many lessons but two of them have over-arched his career.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve learned the importance of remaining original and being patient.<\/p>\n
\u201cMusic changes all the time but it was important to have my own identity in it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is pivotal to be original because that is how I sustained myself in the industry, by staying true to my sound.\u201d<\/p>\n
South Africa\u2019s queen of rock, Karen Zoid, whose music career began in 2001 said even two decades later, she continued to build on her legacy.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that will never stop. It only ends the day I play my last note. As long as I can fill in a form and write musician next to the word occupation, I am happy,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the best part of being a musician is that you learn how to be human. Performances will take you everywhere and you get to see the world in all its horrific and beautiful weirdness,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The 44-year-old was grateful for the digital advancements adopted by the industry to grow it.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the beginning, we used to print flyers, hang them up in clubs and physically hand them out. Today we communicate digitally which has been a huge contrast but became much easier,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you don\u2019t exist on the internet, you don\u2019t exist. Without it, you are losing out and your chances for success are marginal.\u201d<\/p>\n
Over the trajectory of her career, she\u2019s learned the importance of timing.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is in music and life. The old saying that says, \u2018timing is not everything, it\u2019s the only thing’ – that rings true,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the reason people give up or miss opportunities is that they want to make it happen now but you can\u2019t have it all at once,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s important to make the best of what you have and new things will unfold. Music has taught me to not rush toward the chorus, enjoy the verse or chill in the introduction.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The South African music industry has undergone changes through the decades introducing the world to the country\u2019s diverse cultures and heritage through sound from the pennywhistle to African jazz, ghoema and kwaito.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12963,"featured_media":18907,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,31],"tags":[7,14,32],"class_list":{"0":"post-18910","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-entertainment","8":"category-music","9":"tag-apie-project","10":"tag-entertainment","11":"tag-music"},"yoast_head":"\n