On Sunday 7 July, three of Durban’s up-and-coming musicians were given the opportunity to perform live at the Mr Price Pro in Ballito, and are now awaiting the public vote as to who will perform at East Coast Radio’s Durban Day in September.
‘Be the Band’ semi-finalists Kianja, The Kickstands, and Indy were chosen from a talented field of over 150 entrants as part of East Coast Radio’s search for a local musician to be the opening act at this year’s Durban Day. Potential artists were asked to submit a song, which led to the selection of the three semi-finalists.
“The response was overwhelming,” says the station’s Music Manager Debbie Sharratt. “We received music from virtually every genre, from rap to acoustic ballads and RnB. The entries were from amazingly talented musicians and this made it incredibly difficult for the committee to make a decision. We hope to provide more opportunities – both on-air and on stage – in future.”
The winner will perform to over 10 000 people on the 8 September event, performing their own songs, together with a stellar lineup of South Africa’s top artists.
Kianja, a 14 year old who has had an organically growing and changing band, recently wrote and recorded her debut single ‘Mr Retro’.
Indy was born and raised in Chatsworth and now lives in Boksburg. He describes his music as captivating, feel-good, and sometimes provocative.
The Kickstands consists of two friends, Rudi Greyvenstein and Gary Nixon, who started jamming guitar together in Scottburgh. They are now based in Durban.
The performances from the Mr Price Pro have been filmed and the public vote will take place this week. You can find out more and read interviews with the artists here: