3 minute read
Soccer’s loss was music’s gain
HE SAYS, “WE WERE A SOCCER FAMILY AND I WAS SET ON BECOMING A PROFESSIONAL SOCCER PLAYER. I played for Rygersdal Football Club in Rondebosch. I also captained the U/17 team and played in the senior first team.”
On Valentine’s Day 2000, Saaiman sang on stage with a few friends. It was a life-changing moment but he didn’t realise it then, saying simply, “I found something else that I was interested in.”
He continued playing soccer and performed in the odd music competition and events in Athlone. In 2002, Saaiman enrolled for a BA degree majoring in English Literature at the University of the Western Cape (UWC). “I only realised years later that, while a BA degree was very broad with no defined or straight career path, there were so many directions you could go with the skills you acquired. When I started writing my own songs, those skills proved useful. UWC gave me a great education and allowed me to be myself in a space where I felt I belonged and could excel,” says Saaiman.
In his first year at UWC, he entered the inaugural Idols SA competition but was eliminated just before the final 10 were selected.
“It was my first time in Johannesburg, my first time on a flight and my first time leaving home, but that was also the turning point for me in my professional singing career,” he says.
At the end of that year he was cast in the production Blame it on the Boogie and performed at the Baxter and On Broadway theatres. Studying full-time, playing soccer four days a week and performing six nights a week, he only reviewed his punishing schedule when Lee, his brother and business partner, said, “Chad, you are becoming a jack of all trades and a master of none.”
He quit soccer in 2004, graduated a year later and turned his attention fully to music. While performing in Spain, Saaiman began writing his own songs.
In 2006, he met Loyiso Bala. They talked about songwriting and Bala asked Saaiman to play one of his songs. Impressed, Bala asked Saaiman to write two songs for him – Found Love and World of Mine. He later performed Found Love with Bala at a live concert at Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens.
In 2007, Saaiman wrote and independently released his first commercial single, Moving On. “It was the catalyst for me to start the record label, Stereotype Records, with Lee, my producer and another investor.”
The company, now called Stereotype Talent Management, focuses on artist bookings, management and development.
His debut album, Chasing Melodies, followed and was nominated in 2009 for a SAMA award for Best Pop Album in English.
“I’ve released three albums since, but I have only released singles in the last five years, because people are consuming music differently these days,” says Saaiman, who has demonstrated the ability to identify and respond to consumer trends in the industry.
“Long before iTunes was popular in South Africa, I made my music available on that platform. I realised that consumers were just as happy to buy and download a single as an album. It also took the pressure off me to drop an album each year. Now I release a single when I feel the music and the need to create,” he says. Saaiman has toured with American stars Brian McKnight and Tevin Campbell, released a number of chart-topping singles, written more than 70 songs playlisted on radio and performed overseas and at big local events such as the Cape Town International Jazz Festival and Huawei KDay.
In 2011, Saaiman’s musical career nearly ended tragically when he was hijacked and shot. He spent a year recovering physically and mentally from the attack.
“That was another massive turning point for me. I got trauma counselling and had a strong support system of family and friends. In the end, you have two choices; you can remain bitter about it or take the opportunity to share a positive message. I chose the latter. It has taught me to be grateful for every day that I have.
“Mostly, I am grateful to still be relevant in this industry, 14 years after my first song was released, and to have co-created Stereotype Talent Management,” Saaiman says.
