DURBAN BORN 23-YEAR-OLD HOLLY REY IS THE FIRST SOUTH AFRICAN WOMAN IN 20 YEARS TO WIN A SAMA “RECORD OF THE YEAR” AWARD. MASSIVE KUDOS TO HER
Story by Anne Schauffer
There’s something wonderful about meeting a stage performer whose persona on and off stage is pretty much the same. Holly Rey is that person, and she lives her mantra: authenticity. Yes, she’s thrilled to have been the first woman in 20 years to receive the coveted SAMA award, but the most gratifying aspect is that the outcome is decided by fans: “I was the only girl, least known on the roster, one with fewest ‘followers’, and smallest brand, yet I won,” grins Holly. “The fact that the award was given to me by my fans, says more to me than anything.” It goes beyond that though. Holly works extremely hard for those fans. Picture it – 52 shows this last December; on one day, four shows in four different provinces. It’s unimaginable, but not so for her, for not only is it about performing, it’s about connecting strongly with fans, hence the SAMA: “Whenever I could, I arrived at shows early, arranged meet ’n greets, went into the community to meet the kids, and signed posters. When it came to voting time, fans went to astonishing lengths to ensure I was voted in. You can’t buy that kind of support, it only comes from personal connection.”
Pinpointing the moment Holly recognised singing could be her career, isn’t straightforward. She’s not sure herself, but can’t really remember when she wasn’t singing. “As a family, we listened to great music, all the legends, but it was probably my uncle from where my appreciation and love of live music originated. We used to spend weekends with him in the KZN Midlands, and he’d play the guitar, and we’d sing.”
When it came to music tastes, Holly was part teenager, part not. She loved Brittany Spears and the bubblegum pop sounds, but equally SA greats like Miriam Makeba and Hugh Masekela. In many respects, she was the proverbial round peg – didn’t fit in too well at school, had few friends, wasn’t sporty, so music was her extramural. She laughs, “I was constantly phoning my mom to ask if I could start lessons for yet another instrument.”
Then came the choir. Holly’s honest: “I didn’t join for the joy of singing, but for the upcoming tour to boy’s schools.” But she does remember her choir teacher’s words, “If you took this seriously, you could be a great singer”. It took her about two years to do just that. She was 13. “I began writing my own lyrics and music, and that’s probably where it all started – appreciating that music could be a career and not just a hobby.”
Holly was lucky. Vivienne – her mom and now, business manager – was prepared to do whatever it took to make Holly’s dream come true. She approached restaurants and clubs to book Holly to sing, and they did. Holly remembers “the moment”, “The head of Sony ATV was at a Saturday show, and on the Monday called to offer me a five year publishing deal – I didn’t even know what that was.”
What it meant was an entirely different life: “I was recording and working with other stimulating artists and adults who questioned everything about the world. I loved being part of that, and I stopped worrying about having friends my own age. People often ask if I sacrificed my childhood, and my answer is, ‘No, I just had a different one’.”
Within a few months Holly was offered a full record deal, so she swopped boarding for day school, where she could spend more hours on her music: “I don’t think I understood what it all meant until much later. At that moment, I was just making music, doing what I loved.”
But she’d been pigeon-holed into the pop category, and a few years later knew she needed to make a change – produce music which was right and comfortable for her. It almost happened by accident.
“After being in the studios in the afternoon, everyone would say, ‘Let’s go to Max’s for shisanyama’. And that’s where I was exposed to house music. I’d always loved it, but hadn’t been submerged in that culture.” What Holly most loved about house was that it was all about fun, love, and feeling upbeat, unlike other genres which she felt often facilitated darker messages: “When I watched people listening to house, I could see they felt good. I felt that way too. I just knew I belonged there – it was the space I wanted to occupy.”
A 16-year-old girl, who spent more time in KwaMashu and Umlazi than Westville and Mount Edgecombe … and for the first time, felt very comfortable in her own skin. She didn’t want to go to studios in uMhlanga and make house music. She needed to be where the sounds were coming from, so she recorded in make-shift studios with a microphone, polystyrene booth, bed and fridge. “But with today’s software, you get around the acoustics. People outside the industry were puzzled by my choice, but those around me could see I’d come home.”
Then came the turning point. Holly wrote and recorded the song Deeper with producer Mondli Ngcobo. “No, I didn’t know it was ‘the one’,” she says. “But about two weeks after its release, I did. It was already charting, the
hype was insane, so I knew it was different. We released the video on YouTube and had 100 000 hits, 150 000, one million, now it’s up to 5,8 million views. The song surpassed any expectation I’d had, and exploded throughout southern Africa, not just South Africa.”
You followed Deeper – and cemented her success. She’s working on an album, has a brand that’s increasing in demand, and a brilliant support team.
For Holly, empowerment is a big deal, whether the Holly Rey brand is encouraging more female artists to push back, push the norms of the industry, or empowering each member of her team to be the best versions of themselves: “They need to be more empowered when they leave the situation than when they entered it.”
Holly Rey’s SAMA signifies a turning point: “You work so hard to the point where everything you have dreamt about and worked so hard for, comes to fruition. It’s a bit scary, and there’s a lot of pressure.” She laughs, “People always see the good and the glam, but there’s a lot more hard work than glam.” But she’s not scared of hard work, and anyway, “I’m in such a good space now,” she grins.
And in the midst of her SAMA high, what’s really important for Holly is family. “I want to
be more present at home, maximise time with people I love. My little sister, my gran, my mom. It’s very important to me to find that balance, not always easy, but I’m determined.”
And as everyone knows, when Holly’s determined, she makes it happen.