Johannesburg – They describe their unique sound as “kwaipop” – one of the many signs that these guys do not allow themselves to be boxed in by labels.
Since winning X Factor SA in 2014, three-piece band Four (we’ll address the numerical issue later), have been hard at work trying to establish themselves as a musical force to be reckoned with.
The band is made up of vocalists David Januari, Jethro Tait, and Steven Lee. We got the opportunity to have a chat with this talented trio to find out why girls all around SA are going crazy over them.
What’s “Kwaipop”?
Talking about their music style, Jethro says, “It is a little bit difficult to describe because it’s kind of like a mixture of genres. So what we usually say, and what we think it is, it’s kind of like a blend of house and kwaito with pop vocals. So that’s like, “kwaipop”.
#1 Fan
The guys show nothing but love for their dedicated fans who have done everything from baking cupcakes in their honour to starting a Whatsapp fan group. “There’s like a Facebook page where you can send your number and they add you to the group. It’s very humbling as well, to know that people support you like that,” Steven explains.
They can count
It’s one of the questions they encounter all the time. David explains why they stuck with the name. “We were going to be four people and we named ourselves before we found the fourth member. The more we sang together the more we realised that we actually work well together. And then we decided not to find this fourth member but we kept the name. We needed to make sense of it, and we said that God is the fourth element. Our friends and family that helped us get here are the fourth element. Our fans are the fourth element. They all play a big role in where we are today.”
Name dropping
Although they were not able to disclose too much about their upcoming album, the guys let us in on some of the big names who they have been working with. “Oskido’s the head producer on the album. We’ve worked with Zakes Bantwini, Ziyon from Liquideep, Dr Duda. Maphorisa, who produced Drake’s One Dance. RJ benjamin as well. He did a lot of vocal work with us when we were recording.”
Hidden talents
Music isn’t the only thing these guys are good at. David says that, even though “it shouldn’t be a secret”, he plays the piano. Steven, on the other hand, is a skilled soccer player, even playing for the junior Orlando Pirates team at one stage. Jethro’s secret tap dancing skill even surprised his band mates. “I can tap dance. Cause I went to theatre school and it was part of the course,” he says.
Life swap
We asked the guys which local celeb they would most like to swap lives with, here’s what they said.
David: “J’Something.”
Steven: “Somizi. That guy looks like he has the most fun in the world. So I would swap lives for one day. And just to wear his clothing as well.”
Jethro: “I think I would choose AKA or Cassper, just to see what that lifestyle was like. Just to feel what that feels like, to not really care what anybody thinks.”