The music video of the winning song which formed part of the 2011 Sanlam Sing ‘it lyric writing competition has recently made its debut on MK (DStv channel 324) and is now available on YouTube.
Sing ‘it was launched in September last year when LitNet, in collaboration with Sanlam, MK and nine of our country’s top musicians, invited South Africans countrywide to put their songwriting skills to the test. After receiving more than 1 600 entries, the bands and individual artists Bittereinder, Dance You’re on Fire, Dans Dans Lisa, DJ Cleo, HHP, iScream & the Chocolate Stix, Jax Panik, as Karen Zoid and Niskerone & SFR had to choose their favourite lyrics and produce a song. All nine songs were made available for free download from LitNet, with the song that was downloaded the most set to be made into a music video – which brought us to the final phase of the 2011 competition.
Says André Kearns, sponsorship manager at Sanlam: “Sing ‘it provides an opportunity for South Africans to express their creativity in a way that empowers them through the recognition and rewarding of their talents.”
The competition resulted in a dream come true for Pierre Smith when pop band Dans Dans Lisa chose his lyrics, titled “Die ouer ek” – and the song later came to be downloaded the most and won the music video.
"I was blown away when I first heard that my lyrics were chosen by Dans Dans Lisa - even more so when it was made into a music video! Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine my ramblings on life would have turned into such great opportunities!" says Smith, who lives in Somerset West in the Western Cape. He added that the Sing ‘it competition hasinspired him to nurture his talent and start writing again.
Dans Dans Lisa is an all-Afrikaans acoustic band initiated by two rock band frontmen, Bouwer Bosch and Deon Meiring, from the bands Straatligkinders and Glaskas respectively. “We love the video. It’s always fun to be part of something that hasn’t been done before. It was definitely the most fun shoot we’ve ever been a part of. We weren’t part of the planning or concept – we just pitched up and did what we were asked to do. The lyrics and music fit perfectly, just like the video fits the song,” said Bosch and Meiring.
The video was directed by Stacey Howell and Helen Paige of Motion City Films. “Directing performance on this project was interesting because the majority was improvised. We set the scene for the actors and told them what needed to happen … how they got there was up to them. That’s the cool thing about this style of filmmaking: you are constantly surprised by what you get.”
Kearns again: “As a truly South African company, Sanlam recognises the importance of our cultural diversity in celebrating the creativity of all South Africans through the production of local cultural content. For future generations to experience our rich diverse history of culture, Sanlam is proud to be the sponsor of various cultural initiatives.”
Plans for the 2012 Sanlam Sing ‘it competition are in full swing and it is due to launch soon. LitNet’s Sing ‘it project manager Gerdus Senekal is envisioning a bigger and even better competition for this year. “After last year’s success we realised that the unique interaction between artists and fans that Sanlam Sing ‘it offers has immense potential for growth. This year’s project will once again feature top artists and even bigger prizes for the entrants.”
Check out the Sing 'it Facebook page, which is to be relaunched soon, to stay updated – and start writing your lyrics in the meantime. This is where it starts!