Naomi Meyer chats to Sanlam Sing 'it project manager, Chrizane van Zyl, about the next competition that is coming soon.
Hello Chrizane, thanks for taking some time to chat to us. We know how busy you’ve been over the past few months. What have you been up to?
Hello Naomi! I can say that I have probably sent more e-mails in the past two months than I have ever done in my short career as a journalist. The Sanlam Sing 'it team have been working hard at bringing music lovers and amateur lyricists what I consider to be a unique competition, and one of the most exciting that South Africa has seen in a while.
How does Sanlam Sing 'it work?
Anyone can enter their lyrics via our Facebook page, email or SMS until 30 September 2013. Each participating band chooses one favourite lyric to turn into a song. If your song gets picked, you will win R5 000 cash and other big prizes!
The winning songs are put up for download and voting, and the song that gets the most votes earns the winning lyricist R50 000 in cold hard cash! The winning artist/band will also get to make a music video of the song. We've just released the 2012 winning song's music video.
So where does everyone fit in?
I work for www.litnet.co.za, who came up with the idea three years ago. LitNet has always dedicated itself to getting the best out of South Africa's young writers. We also currently host almost 3 900 lyrics in our online archive. LitNet knows that there are talented lyricists out there, and through the Sanlam Sing 'it lyric writing competition we want to give them a chance to step up to the challenge and let their words live.
We are also very thankful to have had Sanlam on board as our main sponsor since the beginning. Sanlam is a company that prides itself in supporting local talent and providing a platform for local talent to be showcased through the Sanlam Sing 'it lyric writing competition.
Tell us more about yourself
I am just another music lover who happens to work for a great website that is passionate about the art of lyric writing.
And now Sanlam Sing ‘it – how did that happen?
Last year I personally loaded every lyric entry on to www.litnet.co.za. (I have a callus on my wrist to show for it.) So when LitNet asked me to step up and manage the competition this year, I was ecstatic! I am very grateful for this opportunity to combine all the things I love: music, people and media.
Are there any perks to this job?
I got to spend the day on set at the Sanlam Sing 'it shoot! Meeting this year's artists and seeing their excitement for the competition has already made it worth all the long hours on the phone. (And let me mention that there were some good-looking musos present!)
Other than name-dropping and now having the coolest musicians on my WhatsApp contact list, I get to spend most of my workday listening to music.
Is this your dream job? What are some of the most challenging aspects and what do you enjoy most?
As corny as it sounds, yes! I absolutely love every second as part of the Sanlam Sing 'it team. The most challenging aspect would have to be managing my "To do" list.
What do I enjoy most? Getting to work on a project that is relevant to all South Africans. They don't say that music is a universal language for no reason. We have spent a lot of time finding the perfect combination of artists/bands people can write lyrics for, and I hope that the public will enjoy doing that writing.
What does it mean to be part of such a big competition?
Writing lots of proposals, negotiating and organising behind the scenes! The public gets to enjoy what Sanlam, LitNet and our creative agency, The Suits, have been working on since early 2013.
Having amazing sponsors on board this year really stepped things up for lyricists and the participating bands. We are giving away headphones, clothes vouchers and top-of-the-line music equipment.
And a little birdie told us that a big TV channel has come on board as media partner?
Indeed! With big changes happening in the local entertainment media industry, we are very excited to be a part of new ventures that supports local musicians on a global platform.
What music do you listen to?
Right now, I’m listening to Enya to calm my nerves until we launch the competition! But I normally listen to a wide range of music. My current obsessions: Hemelbesem, MINNAAR, Parov Stelar, The Soil, Laura Mvula, Ellie Goulding and Bittereinder.
Can you give us a hint who might be the featured artists of 2013?
My lips are sealed until we launch the competition on 12 August 2013. But I can tell you that there are only four groups/artists this year.
What would you like to achieve with this year's competition?
Receive as many lyric entries as possible. We hope to bring the public an exciting opportunity to be part of the entire process: from writing a song to seeing a famous South African band perform it in a music video.
Visit www.facebook.com/singit.co.za for more information
Twitter: @singitSA
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