Baby face with velvet voice
Two albums in the same year- he wants it all
Bradley started his music career when he was a young boy. “One of the earliest memories of my profession is of me being in a gospel band called Adoration that used to travel a lot, so I gained exposure and experience at the same time. I also learned a lot musically like vocal training which really helped me,” said the music enthusiast. Bradley said music was his friend from an early age and he had to rely on it for comfort to a point where he decided to make it his career.
He has worked himself up the music ladder quite fast given the fact that he only started singing professionally last year after joining Song Night under the guidance of Lize Ehlers. “I came to Song Night as a backup singer for my aunt Priscilla the Namibian Dessert Queen and sang with her songs like Yvonne Chaka Chaka’s Umqombothi and Brenda Fassie’s Weekend Special. That is how I met Lize. She suggested that I write my own song and see whether I could do a solo performance.” He then teamed up with a lyricist Michael Pulse who wrote a song that became his first single, entitled Long lost love. Within that time Bradley had become Lize’s backup singer. “We sang for the president which was a highlight for me because it’s very rare - not everyone gets to do that! We also sang at the Miss Namibia event last year and at the jazz festival. It has been really good year as a beginner in this jungle of an industry,” he bragged, rightfully so.
Bradley, being the committed and hard worker, has started doing a lot of cooperative gigs alongside his aunt and Lize until he eventually got his wings and started performing in the Boiler Room at the Warehouse. He was so motivated by how Lize took him under her wing as a mentor and being the good person he is he started training Song Night’s newcomers. “I teach them how to carry themselves on the stage, how to communicate with their instrumentalists and techniques during a performance because these things are just as vital to a performer,” said Bradley.
The ‘Falsetto King’ spoke about a very difficult time last year when he lost his son Daniel but chose music to be by his side and help him overcome the loss. “I started writing my own music in that time to help me emotionally and I wrote my first songDaniel for my first album, ‘The love for Christ’,” he said.
Bradley has started working on his new album that will be launched at the last Song Night of the year, 26 October, since he is a Song Night baby. The ‘Forever love’ album has a chilled vibe and mixed genres including RNB, kizomba and house, exactly what you’d need in your December collection. The album also has a lot of mixed emotions for every moment and mood. “You can communicate with it no matter what the situation,” said Bradley. The first song is named after the title and is already a favourite track to many since he has performed it a couple of times. “The message in this song is very strong because I wrote the song when I was going through a very difficult time in my life. When you listen to it you can actually interact with it depending on what mood you are in,” he said. The 11-track album starts with a heartache song and ends of with the easy and chill songs and this makes his album quite unique - as many do the opposite. The album also has different versions of the same songs which makes it cater for all types of genres on one song.
Bradley said that the industry can be tough to newcomers but it’s all about knowing the right people and being passionate about what you do. He also commented on the commitment one has to put into their music in order to prosper. “When you show up people must know that it’s you and that you are serious. One should be able to build trust and maintain a relationship with organisers and they must be able to rely on you all the time,” said Bradley.
In the future as a brand ambassador of Song Night he looks forward to travelling and not only in Namibia but across our borders, such as extending to South Africa. He advises upcoming artists not to stick to one field but rather, to explore.
He has worked himself up the music ladder quite fast given the fact that he only started singing professionally last year after joining Song Night under the guidance of Lize Ehlers. “I came to Song Night as a backup singer for my aunt Priscilla the Namibian Dessert Queen and sang with her songs like Yvonne Chaka Chaka’s Umqombothi and Brenda Fassie’s Weekend Special. That is how I met Lize. She suggested that I write my own song and see whether I could do a solo performance.” He then teamed up with a lyricist Michael Pulse who wrote a song that became his first single, entitled Long lost love. Within that time Bradley had become Lize’s backup singer. “We sang for the president which was a highlight for me because it’s very rare - not everyone gets to do that! We also sang at the Miss Namibia event last year and at the jazz festival. It has been really good year as a beginner in this jungle of an industry,” he bragged, rightfully so.
Bradley, being the committed and hard worker, has started doing a lot of cooperative gigs alongside his aunt and Lize until he eventually got his wings and started performing in the Boiler Room at the Warehouse. He was so motivated by how Lize took him under her wing as a mentor and being the good person he is he started training Song Night’s newcomers. “I teach them how to carry themselves on the stage, how to communicate with their instrumentalists and techniques during a performance because these things are just as vital to a performer,” said Bradley.
The ‘Falsetto King’ spoke about a very difficult time last year when he lost his son Daniel but chose music to be by his side and help him overcome the loss. “I started writing my own music in that time to help me emotionally and I wrote my first songDaniel for my first album, ‘The love for Christ’,” he said.
Bradley has started working on his new album that will be launched at the last Song Night of the year, 26 October, since he is a Song Night baby. The ‘Forever love’ album has a chilled vibe and mixed genres including RNB, kizomba and house, exactly what you’d need in your December collection. The album also has a lot of mixed emotions for every moment and mood. “You can communicate with it no matter what the situation,” said Bradley. The first song is named after the title and is already a favourite track to many since he has performed it a couple of times. “The message in this song is very strong because I wrote the song when I was going through a very difficult time in my life. When you listen to it you can actually interact with it depending on what mood you are in,” he said. The 11-track album starts with a heartache song and ends of with the easy and chill songs and this makes his album quite unique - as many do the opposite. The album also has different versions of the same songs which makes it cater for all types of genres on one song.
Bradley said that the industry can be tough to newcomers but it’s all about knowing the right people and being passionate about what you do. He also commented on the commitment one has to put into their music in order to prosper. “When you show up people must know that it’s you and that you are serious. One should be able to build trust and maintain a relationship with organisers and they must be able to rely on you all the time,” said Bradley.
In the future as a brand ambassador of Song Night he looks forward to travelling and not only in Namibia but across our borders, such as extending to South Africa. He advises upcoming artists not to stick to one field but rather, to explore.
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