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Cape Town – BBC Brit (DStv channel 120) launches today with a hot new comedy drama Youngers exclusive to the channel.
The series follows the journey of South-East London teenagers, Yemi (Ade Oyefeso), Jay (Calvin Demba) and Davina (Shavani Seth), in their quest to break into the music industry.
We got to chat with the leads while they were in South Africa about their characters, the show and music!
Channel24:
Tell us a bit more about your characters and how you prepared for them?
Ade: My character is a bit of an awkward character, he’s a hard worker who has his head screwed on properly a bit too tight actually. He’s very focused on making his parents proud and trying to achieve his dreams, which can get into the way of his social life, he can be seen as being antisocial. He gets along with Jay because they’ve known each other for so long. Luckily I didn’t have much preparation to do as my character is a producer, all I did was mime everything.
Shavani: My character is a singer and I have never sung before. E4 were really good, they got us singing lessons. I have no experience in that area what so ever... combined with the singing lessons I also watched a lot of artists I thought I could replicate on camera.
Calvin: I play Jay who I like to think is a lovable rogue. He lives in the moment and believes 100% in his ability and his music talent. He’s not going to let anyone but him down. He has a talent and enough passion and tenacity to just go out and do it. Him and Yemi, that’s his world. I’m a big fan of the British hip hop scene. It’s the first time that I rapped and to prepare for the character I watched certain rappers and MC’s and I tried to emulate their style in terms of how they conduct themselves.
Channel24:
Would you ever consider going into music?
(Laughter all around)
Shavani: No!
Ade: I think I’m tone deaf.
Calvin: I have a little bit. I’ve started doing spoken word since I started the show. I do poetry accompanied with some laid back beats. The guy who organised the music for the show helps me with my music.
Channel24:
What makes your show different from all the other shows out there?
Ade: I think it does not over glamorise the negative aspects of teenage life: like getting into trouble and getting drunk. It shows young people trying to succeed and taking their future into their own hands.
Calvin: Also it combines a musical element with the show and the acting, it’s a drama comedy. There hasn’t been anything like that from London, showing that London life in a positive manner. It’s a friendly clean cut show which is fun to watch. Hopefully funny and has enough drama to follow three people’s story which you want to know.
Channel24:
The show’s about music, what are you all listening to right now? What's the most played track or artist on your playlist right now?
Calvin: I’m very into Tupac and Nas. love the old stuff, I’m a bit of a throwback like that. Currently the girl who played Meleka in Younger, Lil Simz has a lot of stuff out now. She’s been on stage with the like of Kendrick Lamar. She’s from where we are so it’s nice to support our peers.
Ade: Last year I attended a colour festival in Cape Town and they were playing Chance The Rapper, it’s where I heard him for the first time, he’s amazing. I’ve been playing him a lot and Little Sims, she’s an awesome rapper.
Shavani: I listen to a mixture of stuff, I don’t have one particular song playing over and over. I do have a few favourites though, one of my newest is Lianne La Havas and one of my old school favourites is Lauryn Hill.
Channel24:
What’s it like on set, you all seem like a fun bunch to hang out with.
Ade: Mandem on the Wall are three boys who also feature on the show. They have their own comedy show on YouTube and I have never met them before. It’s so hard to be serious around them! My character hates them for the first few weeks I had to get over the fact that they are so hilarious.
Shavani: There’s a lot of fun on set we’re like a big family, and we get along so well which is very rare to have on a production. It was just a lot of fun, we were in everyday and we never got to that point when we were sick and tired of each other it was also fun and jokes every day.
Calvin: There was a lot of funny posing behind cast members on set. We would see how many pictures we could get of cast members.
Channel24:
Describe the show in 3 words.
Calvin: Entertaining, engaging, experimental!
Watch the trailer here:
Don't miss Youngers tonight at 20:00 on BBC Brit (DStv channel 120)!
