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Max Hurrell on his viral song ‘When People Zol’: It’s great to see it resonate with so many people

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Max Hurell. (Photo: Instagram/@maxhurrell)
Max Hurell. (Photo: Instagram/@maxhurrell)

Cape Town-based producer, Max Hurrell, clearly finds infotainment in the politics of South Africa, so much so that he’s created an art form out of it.

Hurrell is known not only for his music but also for the hilarious skits he shares on his social media platforms, most notably the ones where he takes clips of politicians and government officials and turns them into hilarious songs.

“Everyone’s a lot more invested in the world of government because everyone is scared and confused,” Max tells YOU. “I took it upon myself to focus on bringing laughter and humour to the seriousness of it all.”


Minister of cooperative governance and traditional affairs Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, recently made a speech to justify the tobacco ban, saying that the sharing of smokes doesn’t comply with social distancing regulations.

“When people zol, they put saliva on the paper, and then they share that zol,” Dlamini-Zuma said.

It was that one sentence – accompanied by a good beat produced by Max Hurrell – that caused Max’s video to go viral.


“It's great to see it go viral and to see it resonate with so many people.

“It’s also bringing more people to my other music and content, as well as my brand. More people are giving my brand a chance which is positive for my brand’s development,” he says.

Max went on to say that his main goal is to make people laugh, so he doesn’t begin his creative process without having that aspect in his videos.

“I feel that often it’s also fueled by online interest. If I find the clip funny, and the audio is clear enough, I’ll attempt to make a song with the sample.

“It’s been nice to see how we can all laugh together as South Africans,” Max says.

He adds says that although he’s accustomed to getting his work done from home, not being able to physically be in contact with his friends and family members has been a huge adjustment.

“I took the initial three-week lockdown as a chance to breathe. The world slowed down, and so did I.

“Then the lockdown got extended, and I couldn’t wait any longer. I had to get back to work. I decided that I wanted to start putting out content again, and that has brought us here!” he says.

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