ON THE RISE
CAPE TOWN, South Africa — South African artist Gr8ful’s name displays how he feels and his two-single project, “Perspectives,” talks about how he got to where he can feel that way.
“Perspectives” is two songs, “Pop Off” and Carry On” with two completely different sounds that relates to the artist’s journey and development into the singer he is now.
“The message behind ‘Carry On’ is basically having faith, believing that any difficulty only breeds change and through that change you’ll eventually feel the ease and be able to reap the pleasure of life,” Gr8ful said. “‘Carry On’ carries that message, where as ‘Pop Off’ is more of a let loose, allow yourself to be in order to find yourself kind of song. I’m saying take the time that you need in order to be the best version of yourself.”
Gr8ful said the video for “Carry On” carries a message as well starting off with the artist jumping out of bed early to an alarm and joining a friend to work in a food truck. He seems to question where he’s going in life, saying “I’m greatful, but I didn’t sign up for this shit.” Then the scenes change rapidly to as the young man becomes more successful.
“With ‘Carry On’ we used Scarface as the genre we were trying to show, going from being in the food truck to a massive amount of success,” Gr8ful said. “The question is how do you handle that success.”
Gr8ful said music has always been a part of his life, from primary school when he started playing the violin. As he got older he tried other instruments like the drums, the piano and the guitar.
As he got older, his brother encouraged him to start writing his own music.
He counts his musical influences in the old-school giants of hip hop, Tupac, Biggy and LL Cool J. Today he listens to the likes of Kendrick Lamar, J Cole and Lil Wayne.
He started taking his speaker to the park around the age of 13 and 14, practicing raps with friends to get more comfortable with free-styling.
“I’d go on to playing beats on my speaker, like normal beats and then I started rapping over them,” Gr8ful said. “It was just me and my cousins and I started rapping about what they were wearing and eventually I started being able to be very fluid with my words and being able to say whatever I want. It wasn’t really like nursery rhymes type stuff anymore it was more like I'm able to rap about actual stuff.”
Gr8ful said “Carry On” and “Pop Off” were released in November, but he wrote them about a year ago. Those two songs show him in transition from that kid in the park to the musician he is now.
“‘Carry On’ and ‘Pop Off’ were very different to how I approach my creating of music,” he said. “It was the first time I actually sat in the studio and the producer was making the beat in front of me. While he was making the beat I was writing my lyrics. It was the first time it had gone like that. Usually I would get a beat and I would go home and write my lyrics to the beat and come back and record. This was completely different, it changed my perspective on music and my stance.”
Gr8ful plans to release more music in the new year showing how that transition has continued and the artist he’s become.
“I say that ‘Perspectives’ was the biggest project that I’ve released at the moment, but it’s not going to be the biggest project I’m ever going to release,” Gr8ful said. “That’s definitely cooking up now and it is for next year. We have something that's much bigger coming. This is only the start and it’s part of a much bigger picture. It’s setting the tone for what is to come. You have to have a perspective for what’s to come.”
Be sure to stay connected with GR8FUL on all platforms for new music, videos, and social media posts.
Websites:
Spotify
Apple Music
YouTube
Gr8ful.co.za (Coming soon)
Socials:
Instagram
Facebook
Elvis Presley – ‘Mystery Train’
“My first love was Elvis, no question. In our house, we had a French-release compilation album of his songs called ‘Le Roi Du Rock ‘n’ Roll’. As a small kid, I was obsessed with ‘Mystery Train’. The way Elvis held his guitar like a gun and the percussive way he attacked the strings made me fall in love with the guitar. Many years later, I went busking around Europe on my motorbike with a tent and played my guitar in the streets. But it was all because of Elvis and those early Sun [Records] recordings – and ‘Mystery Train’ in particular.”
Blondie – ‘Autoamerican’
“There was an Our Price on Finchley Road, North London that I’d go to with my older brother and sister. That’s where I bought ‘Autoamerican’ in 1981. Blondie – what can you say? Apart from the fact that as a young boy, it was impossible not to be in love with Debbie Harry. I love the variety on this particular record – it goes through different genres. Years later, I saw Blondie play [in 2013] at a private function in New York with Kanye West. Debbie Harry was still magnetic.”
Queen, Wembley Stadium, 1986
“Queen were supported by INXS. It was before they released ‘Kick’ [in 1987]. I only went because it turned out my friend Kieran’s dad was a big-shot in the music industry and he got four tickets. I was around 17, it was a year after they played Live Aid and Queen were phenomenal.”
The Beatles – ‘Eleanor Rigby’
“All through our early teenage years, my younger brother and I were always at the top of the house listening to The Beatles. ‘Eleanor Rigby’ reminds me of the ‘80s and the views out of our house in London: looking at the grey, rain-drizzled skies. I always felt its melancholy, looking out of the window back then as a teenager. Not that I was unhappy, but I definitely responded to that in music.”
Ever meet Macca?
“I have met Paul McCartney and he was a complete gentleman. At a political party, we were watching the American election on TV and he came up to me and said [Lewis does a pitch-perfect Macca impersonation]: ‘Oh, you understand a bit or two about the TV, don’t you?’. And I just realised he’d seen me on TV and I melted. I went to bed grinning. That McCartney knows who I am is incredible. I was completely tongue-tied.”
David Bowie – ‘Heroes’
“I know 173 other people will probably also have picked ‘Heroes’ for this, but from the opening note, it’s just relentlessly brilliant. It’s the most evocative, triumphant, euphoric song – and unbelievably cool. The second album I ever owned was Bowie’s ‘Hunky Dory’ – and he’s remained a touchstone for me.”
The Rolling Stones – ‘Little T&A’
“I listen to the Stones a lot and I can never get ‘Little T&A ‘ out of my head. Keith Richards is quoted as calling the song ‘dumb’ and that it’s just about rock ‘n’ roll energy. It’s a celebration of carnality, I’m aware of that, but that’s the one that stays in my head!”
Jive Bunny And The Mastermixers – ‘Swing the Mood’
“I can’t fucking hear Jive Bunny again! But I don’t mean that in a pejorative way. When I was in my twenties, I would go out on my own dancing to old-school rock ‘n’ roll at rockabilly nights. Then Jive Bunny came out and cut up my favourite songs into snippets and put them into this endless [novelty] medley. And then it was never off the radio, so I’d have to put it into the Room 101 of music.”
Crazy P – ‘There’s a Better Place’
“It’s an ambient rave tune with a fantastic Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory sample. I’m just that age. I left school right into the dance culture of the ‘90s and that will still always get me up on the floor.”
The Weepies – ‘Gotta Have You’
“It reminds me of moving to LA as a family with my late wife Helen [McCrory]. My daughter was one year old and my son was about to be born. We were living in Venice Canals – and I was filming out there. We had a babysitter who was a 23-year-old roller-skating, already-Botoxed sunny Californian girl. We asked her, are you listening to any good music? She gave us two great bands. One is The Shins but the other was a lesser-known band called The Weepies. That song will always get me going.”
Elton John – ‘Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting’
“I can’t say I do karaoke but I will proudly divulge that I was at karaoke in Fulham Broadway once. I went in there with a friend and I got up and sang ‘Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting’ and I won a bottle of champagne for best karaoke of the evening! Very chuffed I was too. If I was back looking for another bottle of champers, I’d pick it again.”
Talk Talk – ‘It’s My Life’
“I was an ‘80s kid and I liked electronic music. I’ve always loved ‘It’s My Life’ and Andy Hollis’ vocals, as well as its slightly bombastic nature. Life’s what you make of it – seems like a good sentiment to have.”
Damian Lewis’ UK tour begins on October 2. His album ‘Sweet Chaos’ is out now via Thin Red Duke
