South Africa’s Idol Elvis Blue in Woodstock, Cape Town

Posted by Ilhaam Ismail on 22 February 2011

Winner of South Africa’s Pop Idol 2010, Elvis Blue rocked the foyer at his media conference yesterday, hosted at Musica’s head office in Woodstock, Cape Town.

Elvis’ journey has been a convoluted tune, which has not been altogether melodic. After various stints with unsuccessful recording deals and numerous fruitless open mic nights, he went from street musician to SA star. This is a dream he has gripped tirelessly, which is a reflection of this talented musician’s tenacity.

Elvis’ main drive is the desire to be heard. He wants to write songs that matter and hopes to use his music as a platform for social change. The deeply passionate musician and songwriter writes his own lyrics and his fans love them, as you can see from their comments on his YouTube channel. They feel they can relate to his stories, which is more than you could say for most contemporary artists.

In addition to its catchiness, his name also bears tribute to an inspiring young friend. Laughing heartily as he slid back in his seat, Elvis joked that he understood early in his career that his given name of Jan Hoogendyk is not a name that would sell CDs. He used to teach music at the children’s home where his wife worked, finding solace in the space to play and spread his passion. It was there that he met an 11-year old boy with HIV named Elvis Blaau. The little boy, who had dreams of playing the keyboard, died a few months before auditions. Jan couldn’t think of a more fitting name.

The invariable routes of the idols before him demonstrate clearly how shortlived their musical success is. Elvis says: ‘There is so much hype around winning. In a few months’ time when the hype has died down, I want to make sure that I am still around and will be for a long time, not just for one album.’

His debut album was released in December 2010, and features the poignant single “˜Things my father said’. The song speaks about the last 12 years of his winding journey. Most of his work is original, written by Elvis himself (that’s Blue, not Presley). ‘The album is going to be great. It’s a double album and the first disc will be a traditional rock album; the second will be more like an Elvis Blue Unplugged.”

Finally we have a musician aspiring to make a difference without painting grim depictions of goings in the ghetto.

Elvis Blue’s next few performances:

  • Elvis Performing live @ Stellenbosch Woordfees
    • Where: Stellenbosch Woordfees
    • When: Saturday, March 5 from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm
  • Elvis Performing live @ You/Huisgenoot skouspel Plus
    • Where: Cape Town
    • When: Wednesday, March 16 at 10:00 am until Sunday, March 20 at 11:30 pm
  • Elvis Performing live @ High school Linden Sportfestival
    • Where: Linden High School
    • When: Friday, March 25 from 10:00 am to 11:00 pm
  • Elvis Performing live @ Spar Ladies Charity in Belville
    • Where: Spar Ladies Charity in Belville
    • When: Sunday, April 10 from 10:00 am to 11:00 pm
  • Elvis Performing live @ Cachet Fundraiser in the NWU auditorium
    • Where: Potchefstroom, NWU auditorium
    • When: Thursday, May 5 from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm

 

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