To celebrate National Woman’s Day, singer, songwriter and dynamic performer Verona Pillay has teamed up with Nigeria’s Sasha P to honour the legacy of the historic Woman’s march on the capital in 1956. This Woman’s Month Verona and Sasha P add their voices to the growing chorus of strong women, with the release of Stronger Remix.
This collaboration sees Verona and Sasha P bringing you Stronger, the remix, a track which testifies that women are indeed a force to be reckoned with.These two are actively engaged in uplifting and moving women through their music, with Sasha P’s lyrics being known for their ability to motivate and Verona’s mission being to inspire women through her music.
As women, both have faced various challenges on their path to stardom, yet they have powered through it all only to emerge stronger. That is why today they can bridge the musical divide in Africa and proclaim their strength in Stronger Remix.
More about Verona:
Verona is a singer, songwriter hailing from Shaka’s Kraal on the North Coast of Durban. Having shared the stage with Internationally acclaimed acts such as Sibongile Khumalo, Cece Winans, Jamali, Danny K, Kabelo and Zubz, to name a few, her achievements are as colourful as her singing voice. Verona’s career highlights also include performances at the Cell C Crown Gospel Awards at the Durban ICC in 2009, as well as having the great honour of performing the National Anthem for the Bafana Bafana event on the eve of the 2010 World Cup. Verona can also add to her resume her opening performance for R&B and Soul Legends, Kool and The Gang.
More about Sasha P:
Verona’s counterpart on the Stronger Remix is perhaps one of Africa’s best female MCs, having evenreceived kudos from international rapper Ludacris. Winning Best Female Video at the prestigious Channel O Awards in 2009 and also bagging the much coveted Best Female Award at the MTV Africa Awards, it’s no doubt that she has carved her identity as Africa’s First Lady of Hip Hop. With a similar vision to Verona’s, it was only natural that they merge their talents to create this trailblazing track. Sasha P is not just a lyricist, but extends her talent into the world of fashion where her label, Eclectic by Sasha is creating quite a storm.
Stronger Remix appears on Verona’s forthcoming album, Victory Bearer, which features the talent of popular and established producers including: Liquid Deep’s Ziyon, who authored the original version of Stronger; 37Mph, who is credited with being the founder of Jozi’s Motherland Crunk sound; as well as other heavyweights such as Da Don from Dcl Studioz and Elijah Wood from Pure Platinum Music.
Victory Bearer also features collaborations with artists like Zubz “The Golden Mic Holder”, Denim and rapper Nick Explicit. With such stellar collaborations & Verona’s remarkable talent, Victory Bearer is full of tracks to inspire the mind and move the body.
Verona’s label, Unconditional Love Music, is very pleased with her latest offering adding that, “it’s Africa collaborating to produce amazing and inspirational sounds.”
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/veronapillaymusic
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/people/Verona-Pillay/100000077775215#!/veronamusic
Twitter: @VERONASTRONGER
Website: http://www.veronapillay.com/
For media interview requests, copies of CD to sample and EPK contact Andrea/Hlumi on:
011) 788 7631 or Hlumi – www.jtcomms.co.za or info@jtcomms.co.za
Issued by JT Communication Solutions on behalf of Unconditional Love Music
After making a splash in 2010 with an EP and a slate of high-profile live performances, Holly now releases her first full-length debut album.
Titled TwentyFourSeven, the KZN Music House-released record is a revelation of smart, Afro-rooted pop music - created by an artist who sounds nothing like the all-too-frequently manufactured “popstars” who have surfaced in South Africa over the past few years.
For starters, Holly’s debut features a brace of songs mostly written by the 15-year-old herself – an innate gift that her self-released EP, ‘Strawberry Skies’ first introduced to a now ever-widening circle of fans.
Marciano Rebelo Monjane, a highly regarded Mozambican musician who remains part of Holly’s live band, produced that 2010 released record. The songs worked on by Holly and Monjane for ‘Strawberry Skies’ - Siyabonga Madiba, As One, Senza Famba, and My Friend as well as Africa and Happy Song – thankfully now remain part of her full-length debut, giving those fans who missed out the EP’s short print run a chance to hear this set of songs again.
Joining Monjane on TwentyFourSeven is renowned South African producer, Mojalefa M’Jakes Thebe who contributes production on the new songs that make their first appearance on Holly’s full-length debut – among them Could Be Love, Goodbye, Lies, Just Another Boy, and Party Going On.
“Working with two different producers has been a great learning experience for me,” says Holly. “To see how each one approaches my songs or adds to them has been a really interesting journey.”
A standout feature of Holly’s work is her expansive approach to bringing the songs to life through collaborations with vocalists and performers. This is something Holly herself feels strongly about and that she cemented on songs off ‘Strawberry Skies’ like Siyabonga Madiba, As One, and My Friend – all of which featured Drumkit’s original raps. Holly was determined to keep this collaborative feel on TwentyFourSeven.
“Being able to release my debut album means that I have a platform to introduce music fans to the many undiscovered talents that I’ve been working with or come across over the past year,” she explains. “I’m amazed at the talent that’s not been heard by music fans.”
One of these is Duane Sin, a rapper with the deft ability of an Eminem whom Holly heard on a demo. “I loved the way he sounded and really wanted to feature him on one of the new tracks,” Holly says. The result is “Goodbye”; a touching song about loss that manages to match Holly’s expressive voice with Sin’s emotionally charged rapping.
Another is Capsolys, a Johannesburg-based artist who originates from the Democratic Republic of Congo and is the face of Trace TV for Africa. Capsolys’s vocal feature comes on “Party Going On”, an exuberant track that’s fast turning out to be a favourite of those who’ve heard the album. Cleverly mixing a Maskanda guitar line with an 808 hip hop beat, the track is dance floor ready and reveals a lighter side to Holly that’s sometimes hidden beneath the more intense songwriting found on songs like Siyabonga Madiba and Africa (two of her earliest and most heartfelt tracks).
And the fun side of TwentyFourSeven doesn’t stop there! “Just Another Boy” is a pop-fueled, cutting take on teenage boys (“you think you’re so hot/take yourself on a date”) that reveals Holly to be the kind of thinking teenager you want actually want to spend time with.
“I like to observe the things that go on around me,” Holly says of this song that’s likely to become a fast and firm favourite of teenage girls followed-around by ego-filled boys. “My lyrics are very much about being a teenager, in Africa and the stuff that we encounter by living here.”
Also helping out on TwentyFourSeven are a number of great musicians including guitarists Daine Francis, Aristides Manique (Aka Harris), Donovan Banks, Brent Quinton, and Milton Chissano; bass guitarists Wonder Jazz Hlubi and Philani Ngidi; drummers Paki Peloeole and Simon Beech; keyboardist Mark Royeppen and pianist Peter Enslin. The album’s two producers also contribute to the playing with Thebe undertaking drum programming and keyboards on several tunes and Monjane handling percussion on a number of tracks.
But, in the end, the album is very much Holly’s – effectively capturing the sound she’s been working hard to create since she first began writing songs on her guitar several years ago. It’s a sound that’s as authentic as it gets and has emerged from a gifted young songwriter who works at her craft with the same intensity that she approaches performing.
“It’s really great to be able to hear the songs complete,” Holly says of TwentyFourSeven. “I’m looking forward to more people getting to know my music through this album and playing the songs live.”
For more information contact:
Vivienne 0838914411
For media related queries/ interviews, please contact Hlumi/ Vanessa on 011 788 7632 or media@jtcomms.co.za
Issued by JT Communication Solutions on behalf of Holly.
