BENEDIKT SEBASTIAN
Hottie of the day!
Well-known model and actor Benedikt Sebastian has released
his debut CD after months of recording sessions in Cape Town under the guiding
hand of legendary music producer Gabi le Roux.
Gabi le Roux - a name we heard before
The Album ,Jy Weet Ek Weet contains 12 songs and two
remixes. Innocence and elegance are flawlessly combined with a good balance of
deep themes, but not so philosophical as to alienate people.
Every song tells a story, in its own way. The music is not
genre-specific; on the contrary, the idea was to not be easily pigeonholed.
Benedikt (30) is a patriot at heart. You don’t have to be
Afrikaans to value the language-related issues addressed on the album, with
songs such as “Los Uit My Taal!” proving that protest doesn’t necessarily exclude
pleasure.
Benedikt has a visual communications background. He is
constantly toying with different aspects of creativity, from writing poetry to
short stories, graphic design and drawing – with awards to show for his
endeavours! With famous poet Engemi Ferreira as his mother, the literary blood
flows thick in his veins.
And now he is a singer. He took to the stage for the first
time in 2007 and since then has been honing his talent – and songs – to the
point where he is now ready to put it out there.
As for what he hopes to achieve with his music, Benedikt
says: “In various stages of my life music has had a big effect on me. Sometimes
carrying me through an intense depro phase, for example after a break-up, or
just to get me geared up for something – but at different levels it has helped
me to get to know myself better, and to grow. If I can have a positive effect
on someone’s life, that will make me happy!”
The personal nature of the songs on Jy Weet Ek Weet stems
from his having co-written them; there are parts of him in there and you can
hear the truth. A range of influences are also evident in the diverse themes of
songs such as “En Ons Dans”, “Donker Engel” and “Vlieg”. And each and every
song has an approach you won’t recently have heard around every corner.
Gabi le Roux, with whom the singer followed a very
collaborative approach, is extremely excited about the project: “Afrikanership
is warm and sexy, but our music is often still stuck in the rut of the
old-fashioned „sokkie‟ approach … We bring modern dance beats to the table,
with sharp lyrics that will linger in your mind. We’re Afrikaans international!”
Gabi was responsible for the biggest crossover hit ever in
South African music with “Nkalakatha”, Mandoza’s signature song. Add to that
many an award and a prolific body of work with most of the major names in the
local industry, and you have a producer who knows how to coax the very best out
of an important new singer.
Benedikt says: “Each song consists of a combination of
different factors and I would not have been able to release any one of them if
it didn’t contain a very definite part of me.” Listeners will quickly realise
they are not simply hearing a few songs; there’s a real person in there.
Vagabond. Intellectual. Modern. Bloody sexy and attractive.
Energetic. Passionate. Benedikt Sebastian is all that, as well as a singer with
a unique sound and approach. Here at last we again have a songwriter-singer who
likes to think and for that reason has something to say. This much originality
deserved to be heard, and for a long time to come.
Now have a listen yourself! The Album is in stores this
Month!
Watch Benedikt Sebastian perform Live on Expresso SABC 3
http://www.benediktsebastian.com/
