Pop jazz singer Emma van Heyn appears at The Alexander Bar and Drostdy Theatre. Her band includes Robin Molteno (guitar), Luke Verrezen (bass and keys) and Lilavan Gangen (drums).
Emma pairs her voice with electronic loops. From the age of six, she’s ‘composed’ songs, making her stage debut at seven at Spier Amphitheatre in Movies Greatest Music. The production also went to the KKNK in 2003, when she was nine. Her debut as a solo artist was in 2010 when Imogen Heap requested her to sing one of her originals at the Paul Cluver Amphitheatre. This inspired Emma to further her songwriting, performing on the same stage four years later, playing her solo set at the Hope@PaulCluver Festival in 2014 under the auspices of the Thembalitsha Foundation.
Morning Ms Dednam
Before her solo career took flight, Emma was the vocalist of alt rock band, Morning Ms Dednam – a four-piece known for their jazz-funk repertoire. She also fronted electronic deep house duo, Emma + i – a collaboration with Helmut Meijer.
Emma currently produces her own music, and Uys Visser Productions mixes and co-produce her tracks. “As long as I truly stick to the integrity of the song, I’ll have a truthful outcome in the end”, says Emma. Her 15 track debut album strives to create a versatile body of music that “stays true to her main focus – the song.”
Van Heyn has just completed her Drama degree at Stellenbosch University, majoring in acting and physical theatre – which now enhances the theatrical element during performance. Choral singing has inspired Emma’s vocal layering through the use of looping. She has sung in the acclaimed Tygerberg Children’s Choir (2004-2008) and University of Stellenbosch Choir (2014), which was crowned three times as world champions at the World Choir Games the same year. She was also part of The Voice of Angels that won a SAMA award for Best Classical Crossover Album in 2009. Her debut album, Asylum, was released in August 2016.
“I will not call myself unique or something fresh – I write for ears that want to listen,” says Van Heyn
Guitar heavyweight Mauritz Lotz adds: “Emma van Heyn is the full package – looks, voice, great songs. She’s a powerhouse and the best thing I’ve heard in a long time. She is completely fearless and totally owns it.”
Who: Emma van Heyn
When: 1 September, 8.15pm, Drostdy Theatre, 48 Alexander Street, Stellenbosch, R90
Book: www.drostdyteater.co.za
When: 27 August, 7pm, Upstairs at Alexander Bar, Cape Town, R80 online, else R90, www.alexanderbar.co.za/show/emmavanheyn
WS
