– What does Samkele mean?
Samkele means ” We have accepted”. When my mother fell pregnant with me she was very young and therefore made it hard for my grandparents to accept the situation. Then I came (sweet bundle of joy) and my grandparents named me Samkele to show their acceptance.
– What is your dad’s name – SS?
Sello Sidwell Kaase
– What did your parents do?
My dad was a soldier and my mom a nurse.
– What do you think they’d say to you today to see your song doing so well?
They would be very proud, especially my mother. She and I were very close.
– Did you sing as a boy? What did you sing?
Yes. I was a soprano in primary school. I used to lead songs in assembly and loved imitating Dolly Parton who was my grandfathers favorite female singer.
– What did you dream of doing when you were little?
When I was a child I loved everything that had to do with the spotlight and I also loved being a teacher because both my grandparents were teachers and their passion in their work fascinated me.
– What do you want to do with your life?
– Tell me more about Tirisano School Comp – where was it? which schools competed? what were you competing for?
Trisano was a competition where SA schools could compete in classical and choral music. We competed for prize money, instruments for the school’s band, a scholarship for the soloists to pursue a career in classical music and place in the competitions grand finale in the dome, Johannesburg.
– How many people are in the SA youth choir?
When the choir was established in 2005, we were 50 members and with more funding the choir has increased to 85 members this year.
– How old were you when you joined the SA youth choir?
– Who did you live with when you relocated to CT – and how old were you then?
I was 14 when I joined the choir. I lived in the choir’s boarding school for members who came from far.
– What was actress Petro van de Heever most famous / well known for?
Petro van den Heever is a teacher at Stellenberg High School but she is most famous for her contribution in theatre in SA. She specializes in “one woman plays” which she performs Nationally and other theatre productions for big festivals in SA. She is one of the most influential Afrikaans actresses in Cape Town.
– Tell me more about the acting you’ve done
When I was in primary school I was part of YASHA (Youth against spread of HIV and AIDS) community theatre group where we did a lot of theatre shows around communities to educate the youth against HIV, AIDS, crime, drugs and other issues that affect the Youth. I have done several productions in my High School career including an advertisement for Sanlam.
– Where did you tour to?
In 2005 we had a national tour and in 2006 the choir toured in London where I could not go because it was a week before my mother passed on. In 2007 the choir was due to tour Internationally again bur our sponsors (Fidentia) were being investigated. In 2008 the choir toured Canada (Vancouver) and Gauteng as a token of appreciation to our sponsers (perto SA)
– How did you get to tour Canada?
– Is Power River a town in Canada – what big city is it near?
– What is Kathamixw?
– What is 3 ring circus?
3 ring circus is a company specializing in reaching the youth market in SA and educating them about making the right choices in life and reaching their full potential whatever they are doing.
– So, what have you done since leaving school – studying? songwriting?
I have been writing, travelling and trying to figure out my purpose in life in this gap year.
– Have you written any other songs?
Yes I have written a lot of other songs that I haop to share with other artists both in SA and abroad.
– What inspired you to write Insurgence?
When I wrote Insurgence I wanted it to be a voice for people in and out of this country who cannot be heard in their horrific day to day circumstances. People who experience endless tragedies and have nobody to turn to. The song is also a tool to help those who abuse others, whether physically or emotionally because they are different or less powerful than they, are to realize the bigger picture of the damage they are causing and how it not only affects the victims but the country at large.
– How does it feel to have not only one, but four MPs involved on this?
Its very humbling and come to show that Laurika and I are not alone in the development of “Sing for Change”.
– When you wrote this song, what made you feel it was something special?
I remeber the first time my pianist and I performed it to the rest of the band. Most of them cried and that moved me so much that I wanted see the song reaching as many people as possible.
– How do you feel about this Sing for Change campaign?
This project stands for my motto in life ” We make a living by what we get and a life by what we give” Its about sharing strong messages with other people which God has used me as a vehicle for.
– What do you want to change in this world?
It would take me the whole day to answer that but I would like to see every person being free because without freedom one can never experience the true joys of life which I believe we are all entitled to.
– And what do you want to do next?
I would like to get signed under a record label that will share my vision to use music to heal, teach and entertain the world. I would also love to get involved in projects where I can speak to young children and the youth around the world about issues that affect us. I feel I have a lot to share through music and other forms of communication.
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