Ever since we heard of Coronavirus, we’ve been hearing nothing but disaster and fear, the virus has made us, including Francois Van Coke prisoners in our own houses and has stolen the joy of many.
For some people, mostly music lovers, there has been nothing new as their favourite artist are stuck in the confines of their homes, obeying the “stay home” rule which obviously will help curb the spread of the coronavirus.
We got a chance to speak to some good music makers, to find out the impact of Coronavirus on the South African music industry.
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Right before we delve into what time we had with the singers, a couple of tweets a few days back casually inquired “how are our music artist coping with this lockdown,” and we thought it wise to satisfy that curiosity by reaching out to one of my favourite singers “Francois Van Coke” and to the yummy “Red Sheep” band, to find out first-hand how they’re coping with the lockdown.
SurgeZirc SA Entertainment: How has Coronavirus affected the South African music industry, knowing that “tours” have been postponed and “festivals” cancelled, I mean what is a gig without an audience?
Francois Van Coke: “We do feel the impact of the lockdown, we lost many shows for months, and we don’t know when we’ll be able to perform again. We’re working on new songs. I’m busy working on a song with “Jan Blohm” which will be released after lockdown. Other than that, we’re spending time with our families and trying to make the best out of the situation.”
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Speaking to “Yummy Estian Maree” from the “Red Sheep” band, but before we bring you his comments, “ladies who’re crushing hard on “Estian” and the rest of the band members, calm down, although I do know how much you wanna hear from him. For now, just feel how the lockdown is rocking the singers.
SurgeZirc SA Entertainment: How has Coronavirus affected the South African music industry?
Red Sheep: “There is no doubt that Coronavirus has brought the entertainment industry to a grinding halt. All our gigs have been cancelled (understandably so) and everything is “on ice” at the moment regarding future plans.
We can’t organize any new performances because we don’t know when people will start going out to watch live shows again. That being said, 3 weeks at home has given us the opportunity to write new music and generate new creative ideas.
We’re using this lockdown period to refocus and to analyse where we are and what we can improve on. We hope everyone stays at home and stays safe so that we can all get together to share our love for music soon.”
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It’s beyond a reasonable doubt that this pandemic has all of us doubting a lot of things but in order to keep spirits high let’s continue supporting South African music and dance or sing our fears away.
A huge thank you to “Francois Van Coke” and “Red sheep” for stopping by, kisses!!!
Co-written by SurgeZirc UK editor Chantè Lourens
