Andrei Damane

Andrei Damane is a South African singer/songwriter and recording artist from the Eastern Cape. Always an eager performer, he immersed himself in music and theatre, being a member of steel drum, marimba and brass bands, and taking part in musical theatre showcases as a boy.

He joined the South African Youth Choir, under the direction of acclaimed choirmaster André van der Merwe, in 2007, and remained in the choir until he matriculated in 2009. During this period, the choir toured to Canada where they competed in the 2008 International Choral Kathaumixw. They competed in four categories, ranking first in two categories and second in the other two, and finishing second overall. They also competed in numerous national eisteddfods and arts festivals, regularly placing in the Top 3.

Upon matriculating from the Stellenberg High School in Durbanville, Cape Town in 2009, he was named the Top Achiever in Music in the Western Cape. His original composition, a choral arrangement of the sacred text Salve Regina, was awarded the highest score ever given at the Stellenbosch Eisteddfod — 99%.

Andrei Damane began a Bachelor of Music (Classical Composition) at the University of Cape Town in 2010. That year, he also auditioned for Idols SA Season 6, where he reached the Top 50.

In 2011 and 2012, he played the role of Buzz in a British teenage comedy-drama series filmed in South Africa. He auditioned for Idols SA Season 8 in 2012, where he placed in the Top 50 again. He also met SAMA winning producer Gabi Le Roux, with whom he worked and recorded, and by whom he was mentored for four years. He was awarded the Piano Bar Scholarship for 2012, which allowed him to return and complete his studies at the University of Cape Town.

In 2015, he graduated with a Bachelor of Social Science in Political Science and International Relations.

He had been a regular performer at The Piano Bar in Cape Town since its opening until relocating to Johannesburg in January 2016 to pursue a career in the arts