Refentse Morake
Refentse Morake, From busker and viral sensation to releasing his own album, Refentse Morake’s taken Afrikaans music by storm.
Singer and songwriter, Refentse Morake has become a household name in the Afrikaans community. After Cecilia Marchionna uploaded a performance of him singing on the streets of Vereeniging, it was clear that Refentse can bring something different to the Afrikaans music scene.
Refentse Morake brings an African flavor of sorts to the Afrikaans pop music scene. His warm voice accompanied with the strains of the harmonica, some pop-hooks and the guitar are just some of the sounds that make up for the wonderful sound of his music.
It is hard to believe that he is only 19-years-old today. In an interview on Akkoord: Flits, Refentse talked about how he became an Afrikaans music fan: “My parents couldn’t speak Afrikaans and I went to school in Afrikaans from a young age. I listened to Afrikaans music to learn more about the language.”
In 2015, Refentse made waves on the internet when he was recorded singing De la Rey and Laurika Rauch’s hit, Lisa se Klavier. Soon after the video’s were uploaded to the internet, Refentse became a viral sensation.
Refentse initially had his 15 minutes of fame on the internet, but it wasn’t long before he had the opportunity to make a career out of it. After the release of his debut album, it is clear this artist has been welcomed with open arms.
His album called My hart Bly in `n Taal, features his versions on popular and classic hits, such as Johannes Kerkorrel’s Halala Afrika, David Kramer’s Meisie Sonner Sokkies and a Laurika Rauch medley. The album also features his beautiful croon on Baby Wat Eet Ons Vanaand?
Other performances, not included on his album, includes Karen Zoid’s Toe Vind Ek Jou and a collaboration between Ricus Nel, Adam Tas, Bok van Blerk and the man himself with Hardekole.
When he was 17-years-old, famous South African artist, Karen Zoid asked him to perform with her at the Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees. She also helped him with the recording of his album, which did really well in sales on the iTunes music chart.
Morake also enjoys Kwaito and Zulu gospel music, which he would like to incorporate with Afrikaans music on his second album. His aim is to bring the diverse South African cultures together through the power of music.