ANDREW KAY

Easy Living in the New SA

Andrew Kay is South Afica's top-notch singer songwriter from the heart of the Lowveld, and is SA's best-kept secret.  Known as The Lowveld Lion, Andrew has shared musical collaborations with some of South Africa's top names, including Bernoldus Niemand (Voelvry Toer) Willem Moller (Rodriguez), Gill Gap, Gary Herselman, Johnny Pantsula, Tonia Sellley, Andre Hattingh and many others.

Andrew's musical story began in the hotbed of the Eastern Cape in the early 80's where as a student at Rhodes University he performed at many mass action meetings in protest of Apartheid. It was here he forged a musical relationship and friendship with James Phillips, who went on to reach acclaim under the psuedonym Bernoldus Niemand. During this period Andrew ernjoyed success on the national student radios with two indie hits, Rugger Bugger Rap and Africa, the latter with cult 80s alternative band, New releases.

In the late 80s he received recognition for his work with the trash pop band The Party Dolls, a band that included in its lineup many well known musicians on the lively Johannesburg scene at that time, including Guillaume Rousseau, Gary Herselman, Johnny Pantsula, Tonia Selley, Llewellyn Alberts and Rita Potenza. ​All stars in their own right, the Party Dolls quickly built a following that dissipated after Andrew suffered a motorbike accident in August of '88. After a six week stint in hospital, Andrew secured work on the Bles Bridges film, which features the only known footage of the Party Dolls.

Andrew went into artistic exile towards the end of '89 and went overseas, travelling to Ireland, France, Israel, Scotland and England, learning the songs of the nations as he went.   During this period he wrote the soundtrack for experimantal Bosnian film maker Emina Kurtagic, which was aired at the london Film School.  Upon his return to a much-changed New SA in '95, he began serious music studies at the Wits Music School where he learnt composition, orchestration and specialised in guitar. In '96 he signed to peermusic SA, and secured an international songwriting deal. During this time he worked with a band called the Skyt Muties who recorded and released an album called Mojo Thrillpower under their own indie label, Breakbeat. One of Andrew's songs, a "hit" of his solo shows at the time called "Ramadan Blues" was covered by The Lowveld Garage Blues Band and has received slow but sure airplay over the years. Andrew released this song as part of a cassette album in'96 called That Was Then But This is Naar. At this time he contiued with mainstream commercial work in the form of jingles for TV shows, adverts and industrial theatre.

He moved to Nelspruit in 2004 and released his first proper solo album, entitled Peace and Love, that contained the surefire hit Number One Ntombazane, a song that remains a high point of his show to this day. He started Viva Music in 2008, a private music teaching concern, which he continues under the name Andrew Kay Music.

In 2011 Andrew recorded and pressed copies of his second solo album, Sweet Like a Lemon, and toured the Lowveld and Johannesburg in promotion of it. The album was recorded at Echo Studios in Nelspruit, with Pete Echo at the helm.

His latest album, 2014's One For The Road, was written specifically to reflect his solo shows, and has a more acoustic, laid back feel, highlighting the richness of Andrew's voice, and his satirical and mature songwriting.