Freshlyground | |
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_(5971070825).jpg) Concert on 15 July 2011 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Cape Town, South Africa |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 2002–2019 |
| Labels |
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| Past members |
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| Website | freshlyground |
Freshlyground was a band formed inCape Town,South Africa, in 2002. Freshlyground is best known for writing, perform and playing the instrumentals of the afrofusion andsoca single "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)" alongside Colombian singerShakira, which received worldwide recognition. The music video featuring the group has achieved over 3.9 billion views onYouTube, which has resulted in it becoming one of the most-viewed videos on the platform.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]
Freshlyground's members cite diverse multi-racial, multi-cultural and multi-national backgrounds inclusive of South Africa,Mozambique andZimbabwe. Violinist and backing vocalist Kyla-Rose Smith was associated with afrofusion dancer Gregory Maqoma's dance company, The Vuyani Dance Theatre, where she performed at theCentre National de la Danse in Paris and co-wrote music while serving as the principal violinist. Smith pursued music studies throughout her schooling and focused on jazz during her time at university. At 15, Simon Attwell was aflautist in the Zimbabwe National Orchestra, later earning a scholarship to theChethams School of Music in Manchester by age 17. Aron Turest-Swartz studied piano with Merton Barrow at the Jazz Workshop in Cape Town during his teenage years before transitioning to drums andpercussion inDublin in 1998. Lead singer Zolani Mahola had studied drama at theUniversity of Cape Town and secured the lead role of Boniswa in theSABC1 television drama seriesTsha Tsha. Drummer Peter Cohen formerly served as a drummer forMango Groove. Mango Groove, which formed in 1984, is a South African musical ensemble comprising 11 members that blendspop withtownship music genres such asmarabi. Josh Hawks, a backing vocalist and thebassist, was a prominent figure in the early '90s scene and played a pivotal role in the success of both The Streaks and the Zap Dragons.[1][8][9][10]
Freshlyground released their debut album,Jika Jika, in early 2003. The commercial success of this album launched their career through their reputation as a vibrant South African band. The exposure from this album resulted in an invitation for the band to perform at both theHarare International Festival of the Arts and theRobben Island African Festival. This album was remixed by Keith Farquharson, remastered by Chris Athens and re-released in 2008.[11]
In 2004, Freshlyground participated in the opening ofParliament of South Africa by performing before then-presidentThabo Mbeki in an event organised as a celebration of 10 years ofdemocracy inSouth Africa.
At theHarare International Festival of the Arts (HIFA), Freshlyground performed withZimbabwean musicianOliver Mtukudzi.
The band went on to perform alongside local legendMiriam Makeba, as well asStanley Clarke andFemi Kuti, at the North Sea Jazz Festival, held during April inCape Town. July also marked a break from the recording studio for the band, who had been working hard on their then unreleased albumNomvula. The band took this time to perform at the Villa Celimontana Festival inRome,Italy.
Finally, in late 2004, Freshlyground released the album. The album initially only saw moderate success locally but ultimately went on to achievedouble platinum status in South Africa. Its initial success was largely due to the catchy, feel-good lyrics of "Doo Be Doo", which enjoyed significant play on local radio. It was also covered inIndonesian by singerGita Gutawa. Follow-up hits included "I'd Like" and the signature track "Nomvula", the former achieving unprecedented success on radio charts such as the5FM Top 40, where it remained at No. 1 for several weeks.[12]
The albumMa'Cheri was released on 3 September 2007. The album was again produced by JB Arthur and Victor Masondo, was engineered by David Langemann and was recorded inCape Town. The first single, "Pot Belly", was followed "Fired Up" and "Desire".
Freshlyground's albumRadio Africa was released in May 2010. Promotion for the album included a release of a collaborative music video with the team behindZANEWS, a South African satirical puppet news show, for a song about Robert Mugabe titled "Chicken to Change".[13] The release of the satirical song and video resulted in the group being banned from Zimbabwe for eight years.[14] In 2018, due to a change in the presidency, the band was no longer prohibited from entering the country and they were finally able to return to Zimbabwe to perform.
On 23 January 2010, Freshlyground performed at the official inauguration game at the newCape Town Stadium, where local Cape Town football clubsAjax Cape Town andSantos played each other in a match decided on penalties.
A song by Colombian pop star Shakira and Freshlyground was the official song of the2010 FIFA World Cup. The song, titled "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)", is based on "Zangalewa", a popularMakossa African soldiers' song byGolden Sounds. "Zangalewa" was a hit single in Colombia in 1987. Shakira and Freshlyground performed the song at the pre-tournament kick-off concert in Soweto on 10 June.
The following July, the band also took part in the official handing-over ceremony,[15] which took place in South Africa.
Violinist Kyla-Rose Smith stated on the band's web site that "This album captures the emotion, the passion and the energy of our live performances. Our live concerts have always been at the bedrock of our popularity."[16]
The band's sound is primarily afro-fusion, a musical style that emerged in South Africa during the 1970s and 1980s that is mix of dance and music-genre styles.[17][18] The band's songs are multilingual and incorporate languages such asXhosa, English,French andZulu. Their music is frequently a fusion of genres incorporating anexperimental wide range ofcrossovers includingkwaito, folk,kwela,indie-rock, jazz andblues.[19][2][20][21][22][23]
In 2005, Freshlyground was nominated for threeSouth African Music Awards for their 2004 albumNomvula. Although they won no SAMAs that year, in 2008 theRecording Industry of South Africa awarded them the coveted Best Duo or Group SAMA. In the same year, their 2007 albumMa' Cheri won the prestigious Album of the Year SAMA, as well as Best Adult Contemporary Album: English, and Best Engineer.
At the 2006MTV Europe Music Awards in Copenhagen, Denmark, Freshlyground became the first South African musical act to receive honours fromMTV, when they received theMTV Europe Music Award for Best African Act.
At the 2008Channel O Music Video Awards the band received the "Best Africa, Southern" accolade for their single "Pot Belly".[24] In 2008 the band was awarded the South African Music Awards for their album "Macheri."[25]
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