Tony Cummings brings the lowdown on new South African pop rock singer REANA.
It's not every day that an international artist gets pitched into the UK scene but in the case of South African singer Reana, Authentic Music are pulling out all the stops. Her UK debut 'The Cure' is an engaging concoction of pop rock which is more Alannis Morrisette than Britney Spears and her compositions show a considerable spiritual passion. This spiritual zeal permeates everything Reana says, "To give without loving is easy, but to love without giving is impossible. That's why I am encouraging young people like myself to give up living a life of self-centredness."
Reana grew up in the Kamas Highlands in Namibia on a farm where there was little water and where goats kept nibbling her shoe laces! "The goats were my first audience," Reana laughingly remembers. "My mother always said I sang in perfect pitch and by the time I got to high school I was singing in various concerts." One day she was lazing in a bath when a lady called and asked the teenager whether she would consider entering Crescendo, South Africa's biggest songwriting competition. Although she was already an enthusiastic songwriter, she'd previously written only in English and Crescendo's entries were in Afrikaans. Rising to the challenge she wrote her first Afrikaans song. That Saturday she sang an audition and the next thing she knew the bewildered farm girl was being flown to the Civic Theatre in Johannesburg as a Crescendo finalist at the tender age of 16. Reana didn't win, nor did she the next year. It was her third and final effort which brought the teenager the rewards of a career in singing. The Crescendo prize included a CD recording contract. To the trepidation of the competition's organisers, Reana insisted on recording purely gospel songs. After considerable arguments they eventually agreed. The resulting album was a major hit in her homeland. That was followed by a second successful CD. Now Authentic Music have compiled 'The Cure' from her recordings to launch her into the UK.
She clearly has the potential to go far. Writing in Rapport magazine Wikus du Toit said, "Reana's talent is just about unparalleled on the Afrikaans musical front. The album has the edge that ensures its competitiveness on the international music market. Reana is the freshest, most exciting local sound released in recent years." Reana is less strident but no less positive about her launch into the international marketplace. "The Lord will complete what he has begun."
The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.