Showmax announces new local fantasy: Blood Psalms

Seriously Single: South Africa’s latest contribution to the Netflix catalogue

Kendra Connock

Whether they met in preschool or were thrown together by chance in a university res room, there is nothing quite like the bond that exists between two best friends. Ultimately, this is what Seriously Single demonstrates. It’s a romantic comedy so it has its moments of swoon-worthy flirtation and you’ll definitely giggle a time or two, but what really sets this movie apart is not the relationship between a protagonist and her Mr Right; but rather the relationship between a protagonist and the one person who will always have her back: her best friend.

The film was produced by Burnt Onion productions, which consists of a trio of siblings determined to share their voices and stories with Africa and the world. What sets this movie apart from any of the other hundreds of rom coms out there is its

Kendra Connock

of guitar in the South African music scene. These back-to-back releases come after the artist’s struggle with health issues which have taken their toll physically and emotionally.

Ferguson’s talent is evident in every piece of music she works on and her latest releases, Falling Forward and Harbinger, only showcase this fact even more. As a musical polymath, Ferguson wrote, played, and recorded every note on these two EPs herself; the multi-layered and complex music she produces is exceptional in its own right, but the fact that she does it all herself makes it all the more impressive. As Ferguson used her music as an outlet during a difficult time, Falling Forward and Harbinger were both inspired by her personal health struggles and the physical and emotional

TRY display of diversity. This movie portrays the best aspects of our the “rainbow nation” with sweeping images of cosmopolitan Johannesburg and dialogue in English, Tswana, Zulu, Afrikaans, Xhosa, and Sotho. The storyline relies on a number of romantic comedy tropes and the storyline is similar to 2016’s How To Be Single (from high-octane nights out on the town to the more vulnerable moments of the films’ protagonists stumbling their way through romance and heartbreak; right down to the witty bartender and someone who wants more than just a casual relationship). The leading ladies in this film are veterans of the South African entertainment scene: Fulu Mugovhani and Tumi Morake. Their characters are dynamic and fun, but also vulnerable and personable enough to seem familiar to watchers, as if they were the girls you’d meet in the ladies room at a nightclub.

If you can look past the similarities to countless other rom coms and the typical tropes one expects to find in these kinds of films, you’re left with an enjoyable film, endearing characters, and a sense of familiarity – something we don’t often get when watching movies on Netflix. It may seem like just another romantic comedy, but in Seriously Single, the characters look and speak like ordinary people, and this is the film’s greatest

Back-to-back releases for South Africa’s own goddess of guitar

Following her debut solo offering in 2019, guitarist Robyn Ferguson has added two additional EPs to her repertoire in 2020; both of which solidify her position as the goddess

triumph. effects she is still feeling. She suffered nerve damage during her illness and still experiences some paralysis, but not even that could stop her.

Robyn’s music is entirely instrumental; and that’s all it needs to be really. Her talent is not limited to technical skill in playing instruments, but also in her incredible ability to make listeners connect with her emotionally through the sound of her music. Each of her songs is connected to the emotion she was feeling when she wrote it; “Gravity”has a weight to it, a heaviness that surrounds the listener; while “Oxygen”reinforces the sort of claustrophobic experience by the artist during her stay in hospital. “Petrichor” gives the listener space - there’s still that undertone of anxiety from earlier in the EP but it is now accompanied by a kind of peace; as if the rain is finally easing up after a big storm.

You can find Robyn’s music, including Harbinger (written, recorded, and released during the COVID-19 national lockdown) on

any of your preferred streaming platforms.

Closet Refresh

@Home you are willing to say goodbye to because the bleach will likely dissolve the bristles after a while. The best clothing to use for bleaching is denim and darker materials that the bleach will be visible on Pinterest, YouTube, and TikTok are full of clothing DIY ideas, and a quick search on there will provide you with Emily Harrison endless inspiration and creativity.

2.Go thrift shopping

Acloset refresh is something that everyone Charity shops have recently started to open up again since needs every now and then. Everyone has lockdown forced many of them to close. Charity shops are great felt bored with their clothes at one point for finding new, extremely affordable clothing items as well as or another. There are plenty of ways to items for you to DIY. If you do not want to spend any money at update your style without spending a lot of money, all, another option is to host a clothing swap with your friends. especially now when the COVID-19 crisis is putting a You can do this while still social distancing by creating a financial strain on everyone. WhatsApp group and sending pictures of the clothes you want 1.Try out some DIYs to swap.

There are many ways to DIY a piece of clothing, 3.Refresh your mindset so the best idea is just to let your imagination take Sometimes all a closet needs to be updated is a new set of over. From painting, to embroidering, to cutting, eyes. A good way to change your perspective on your clothes the options are endless. is to ask someone else to style you. Seeing how somebody

The easiest way to add some new life to else would put your clothes together will give you new clothes is to bleach them. There are two ways inspiration. Styling pieces together that you to use bleach on your clothes. The first way normally would not is also a good way is the traditional tie-dyeing method, and a quick to get inspiration. Layering is another YouTube tutorial will give you the correct option, because putting different items of technique. Another bleaching method is to clothing together will give you that street use a paint brush to create a more intricate wear look without you having to spend design. However, be sure to choose a paint brush Illustration: Marchall Potgieter any money.

Image: Cletus Mulaudi

Showmax announces new local fantasy Blood Psalms

Emily Harrison

Showmax recently announced that they have a new local Showmax original in the works called Blood Psalms. African video entertainment company, MultiChoice, is joining forces with global broadcaster, CANAL+, to produce the show. The fantasy epic comes from the minds of creative duo Layla Swart and Jahmil XT Qubeka, who were also behind the critically acclaimed crime drama Knuckle City (2019). Swart is producing the new show while Qubeka is writing and directing. The story will centre around a young African queen, Zazi, who has to deal with a world ending prophecy while leading her people. The story imagines a thriving pre-colonial Africa and the myth that exists there. It is heavily influenced by the ancient mythology that can be found across the African continent but with a specific focus on Xhosa legend. The ten-part fantasy series has already gained a lot of attention as well as many comparisons to Game of Thrones. The series is authentically African and is being filmed in the Eastern Cape, Gauteng, and the North West. The series has more than 50 black actors in its cast, including some well-known South African names. The cast includes Thando Thabete, Enhle Mbali Mlotshwa, Hamilton Dlamini, Sello Maake Ka Ncube, Warren Masemola, Thabo Rametsi, and Thishiwe Ziqubu, to name a few. Another interesting aspect about the show is that the story is told in vernacular rather than English. Swart and Qubeka stated that they wanted to contribute “to the preservation of African culture and languages as authentically told by Africans”, which explains the creative decisions behind the show. Actress Enhle Mbali gave viewers a sneak peek of her character, Umna, on her Instagram page, showcasing the costume and set design of the show. All of the pictures that have been released from the set show incredible costume and set design that is sure to amaze audiences. To ensure that the series is as authentic as possible, the creators of the series consulted African spiritual guides and healers. The series joins the short list of other Showmax originals which points to a more hopeful and creative future for the African television and film industry. The fantasy genre has been garnering a lot of attention in the television industry over recent years. The success of Game of Thrones has led to a flurry of other fantasy series including the Netflix originals The Witcher and Cursed. Now Blood Psalms is going to add an African story to the roster while also adding some much-needed representation to the genre with its incredible all black cast. Blood Psalms is set to be released early 2021.

PDBY Featured Artist: Roman Figga

Daluvuyo Nkumbulo Mapuzi

Tshepang Rihlampfu is a UP student who performs under the stage name Roman Figga. He delivers melodic and rhythmic flows on energetic instrumentals to give the listener a burst of vitality each time one of his songs play. As an editorial member of PDBY, we have direct insight into Roman Figga and his music writing process. You can also watch his live interview on PDBYlive.

Please introduce yourself. Who is Tshepang?

Tshepang is a young, God-fearing, and ambitious kid born and raised in Pretoria, who is currently studying towards completing his degree in BSc GeoInformatics at the University of Pretoria. He is also the Multimedia Editor at PDBY Media, the official University of Pretoria student newspaper, while also being the Deputy Head of Marketing and Communications for the JuniorTukkie Student Ambassadors Society (JTSAS).

How is Tshepang different from Roman

Figga?

from Stellenbosch. They are best known for their single “Ukulele Song” and are making waves across the South African music scene. PDBY caught up with their lead singer, Chris Kruger.

In July, the band released an EP titled Methuselah. Kruger said that “itstarted with literally just me, I set up like a small studio in my room and the songs sort of just wrote themselves. I would play guitar and then record it on the fly. None of those lyrics have even been written out. It just sort of formed itself. I then sent it to our bass guitarist, who is based in Cape Town, he added bass lines to it. Our drummer, who was in Paarl at the time, recorded his own percussion and my brother, the lead guitarist of the band, he’s been in Italy for the past couple months, recorded his lead guitar parts in Italy. So, it was a super cool experience!”

Methuselah, according to the bible, was the oldest man who ever lived, being the primary inspiration for the name. The EP is accompanied by a short, animated series. Kruger says that adding a visual story to the music has always been something that he has wanted to do, and the band has been working with artist Simeon van der Bergh since their beginnings, who is responsible for the animation series. “The animation series

The only difference between Tshepang and Roman Figga is that Roman gets 200 times more ecstatic on the stage, in the studio, and when around people. Both Tshepang and Roman are very vibrant and lively, with Roman Figga being the musical persona and Tshepang being the poetic persona.

Take us through the process of how you curate a song, from inception to release.

Well, my music making process is a bit unorthodox because I usually get into my element while I’m in the restroom, where I’ve written most of my songs. The making of a song usually starts with ctrlH, DayLow or Kxvin sending me a beat then, depending on whether I feel the beat or not, I mumble through the beat to catch its drift and get to structure the flow and the spacing of the verses and the hooks, and then after that we hit the studio. I have this formula that I call the FIGGACODE which I use when I make my songs, wherein I basically encrypt my songs with very deep messages in a very metaphorical way and still keep them catchy and vibey for the listeners to have fun and dance to. Once the songs are done and ready, I meet up with my creative team where we listen to the basically just follows this character who could be called Methuselah if you want him to be. And it follows his little journey,” says Kruger.

In May, the band released a single titled “Big Dogs Bark” which bears striking resemblance to popular “Ukulele Song”. Kruger says that “Big Dogs Bark”, as with Methuselah, was a spontaneous release. The song started in his small studio, where it sounded cool, and then added in some

Jackal and the Wind:

Image: Provided

songs and then brainstorm ways we [are] going to market and promote the songs. Another thing that we keep in mind is the release date because we don’t want to release during the same week or month as other artists so that we get all the attention to our craft.

10 months ago, you released a full-length project titled I’m That Figga. How was your personal experience with that milestone?

I’m That Figga was a major milestone because it marked the beginning of the working relationship and friendship between Kxvin, DayLow, ctrlH, and Obie Swaden, and we’ve been working together till this day and have some major fire collaborations coming soon on my upcoming project. The name is still classified at the moment, but what I can say is that it’s a wonderful movie vibe type of a project.

Take us through the ideas and feelings you wanted to communicate in the project (I’m That Figga).

The whole concept and message behind the project was basically to mark the start of my journey in the industry and to introduce myself

On Methuselah and more

Dani van der Horst

Jackal and the Wind is an independent band

he played around on his ukulele, thought Image: Provided properly so that people know who Roman Figga words. According to Kruger, this is remarkably wanted gang vocals. So, I invited the band to my similar to the way that “Ukulele Song” was made house, and got my parents involved as well and and that is probably why the two songs have a then we started singing in the room.” Kruger rates similar energy to them. Nomadic Orchestra as one of the greatest local

The band is planning to release a new single on live acts that South Africa has to offer and says 24 September titled “Broken Shoes” with Cape that it was a wonderful experience working with Town based instrumental dance band, Nomadic them. Orchestra. “It’s a song that we are super excited Kruger explains that this next chapter of Jackal about. It is by far our best live performance song. and the Wind is definitely going back to the really Nomadic Orchestra added some crazy brass to the unique and raw sound of the band’s early days. track” says Kruger. He explains that the song is This is mainly because they have been recording actually pretty old and that they have been playing in a room again with a single mic. Kruger says it for about a year at gigs. This is different to most that he really likes this, and thinks that the band of the new material that they have been putting will stick to this in the future. Recording like this out which has spontaneously been recorded does come with its disadvantages, but Kruger during lockdown. Kruger says that the recording suggests “you just need to work around those experience was crazy, and that they “recorded at things”. Luckily, Mayers acts not only as the my house and sent it to our bass guitarist, Alex band’s bass guitarist, but also as their mixing Mayers, who then recorded the bass lines. We engineer – Kruger stating that “he really knows is because I stand out from your typical rapper stereotypes by experimenting with different sounds and styles, constantly putting me out of my comfort zone.

Which three of your existing songs would you recommend to a new listener?

I don’t really have specific songs that I could recommend because I [make] music which people can relate to differently based on how they feel or their mindset. So I’d tell the listener to listen to the whole tape and catch their own vibe from it as the whole project is a story and each track resonates with each other so nicely - with “Grind” and “I Don’t Know” being the fan favourites till this day. “Grind” is literally a story about a very lit night that most of us have really been through. [It’s a] song you’d listen to in the early mornings as the sun rises thinking about how crazy last night was. That’s “Grind” for you. “I Don’t Know” is more like a phase change type of a song where one’s life and public perspective changes for the better with [the] sudden gain of publicity and a constant streak of winning begins.

Your Good Vibes Teaser music video includes visuals of you performing on a few stages. Take us behind the scenes of the footage.

Firstly I’d like to thank and make a shoutout to Clexyt Graphyx for the amazing visuals they’ve been capturing for me, and also all the fans and friends that have been capturing all those great moments when I get lit on the stage. The footage on the video is a compilation of visuals from three major events that took place last year, with shots from when I was honoured to be the main act at Tuks Ekhaya’s house dinner by their House State President. Some shots were from [the most] iconic stage and festival that I’ve ever performed at in my life, which was the Humanities Faculty’s Mokete wa Humanities Art Festival at the Aula, and lastly the other shots are from when I got an invite to perform at a private festival in KZN, which I was so honoured and excited to get invited as one of their five headline acts of the week late last year, around December, which was a massive blast.

how to work the sound. He really makes magic”.

Kruger says that Jackal and the Wind is a band for everyone because they try not to conform to one specific genre. The songs on Methuselah are Kruger’s favourite, stating that “for the first time, if I were to go sit down and listen to music, I’d want to listen to Methuselah. I normally don’t like listening to my own music and I didn’t do it in the past but this music I like listening to myself.” This has always been the goal for the band, putting out music that is honest, authentic, and for themselves. Kruger feels that writing music for other people for the sole purpose of having it trend, loses the honesty of the music.

Jackal and the Wind is largely influenced by old school legends like Johnny Clegg, Paul Simon, and Dire Straits. The band also credits a lot of their sound influence to Zimbabwean musician, Oliver Mtukudzi.

Kruger’s main piece of advice for anyone wanting to break out into the South African music scene is to “persevere and persevere”. He suggests writing and releasing as much music as possible and steering clear of covers if you can. Kruger is hopeful for the future of the South African music scene and he says that the band has received an outpour of support in the lockdown. But he does state that, in the industry, “people need to go out and listen to more music - get involved and support local bands”.

The band does not have any plans for a live or virtual performance in the near future, but they do have plans to do something at some point, so be sure to keep an eye on their social media accounts. However, it is clear that there is no stopping this small but mighty band and they are well on their way to cementing themselves in the industry.