Share the Fruit, Share the Music – the Fruit Vendor Takes Us Through a Journey of his Musical Produce!

Born in Johannesburg, Fruit Vendor is a well-known musical act in the Mother City whose presence is characterized by original sing-a-long tunes that creatively combines rap, comedy and ‘real-life’ topics. He has shared the stage with many well-acclaimed artists and musicians this year. At the recent Cape Town Folk ‘n Acoustic Music Festival, he was singled out by David Kramer as having a “fresh sound” and was praised for his use of audience interaction (yes, we can relate to this one ‘coz we love it when he asks us to sing along to “aaaaaaah, aaaaaaaaah… a real real job!”). His debut EP entitled “Giants” is currently in production.

On Valentine’s Day this year, Cultsha Kennis had the privilege of meeting him for the first time when he performed at the ‘My Earth Community’ Artsemble in Maitland. After witnessing the multiple talents of this guy in his many collaboration events thereafter (he plays guitar AND keys, and writes poetry too!), we thought it’s time we snatched him to get to hear his full story. Read our very entertaining conversation below!     

Cultsha Kennis: The 1^st time I saw you perform was at My Earth Community’s Artsemble on Valentine’s Day in 2015. As the MC’s introduced you, they sang that song from that old Oros advert, which went something along the lines of “Mango, O, Mango, Lemon! O, Passion Fruit, Naartjie, Guaaaaava!” - a perfect way to introduce the Fruit Vendor! Was it this song which inspired your name?   Fruit Vendor: I'm familiar with that song, but no - it didn't inspire the name. The name kind of happened by accident. My best friend dared me to write a song about fruit, thinking I would come up with something comical. He was very wrong! The song that came out was called "Your Fruit Vendor" which tells the story of a day of the life of a typical street hawker, the kind you might find at St George's Mall or at the taxi ranks. It describes the steps he takes to survive and thrive selling fruit. While writing the song, a very strong universal theme of humanity came up - that we are all just trying to establish meaningful connections with the people around us. Oftentimes, during our many daily transactions we fail to recognise that the people who cross our paths are human beings, just like us, and that they too have dreams no matter how insignificant they may appear to be. 

Later, when deciding what to call myself, I settled on the name ‘Fruit Vendor’ because that is after all what each one of us is. We are all trying to exchange our gifts, talents and "produce" to create exchange, whether in a financial sense or not. As a music artist, I am literally vending the artwork that I create, which is interesting since every song has a different flavour or style and can allude to the range of different fruits we all get to enjoy.

Cultsha Kennis: Tell us the story of how you fell in love with music.

 Fruit Vendor: Music is kind of in my family. On my maternal side, my mom, her sisters and my ouma all play piano. My brother is also an avid piano player. He was the 1st person who inspired me to try and play popular songs on our home piano, by bands like Depeche Mode and Level 42. I really became interested in music after attending ‘Oppikoppi’ music festival in 2004 and there I got to see live music (outside of church) for the first time. I immediately became fascinated with playing guitar.

Later at my new school in Vredenburg, I connected with some guys who were in a band, and who were looking for a vocalist/rapper. (I think I started rapping at about age 9, but it could have been earlier. My first public rap performance was in front of my school in grade 3 - which was a big, nervous rush!). Anyway, I did a bit of an audition for the band I mentioned earlier, and within a week of being at my new school I did my first performance with them. We opened for a band that was rather famous back then, called ‘The Finkelsteins’, who were touring SA and stopped over to play at our school. The response to my singing (something I'd never done publicly before) was overwhelming! Even my own family couldn't believe what they saw on the recorded footage. I kind of knew then that I wanted to be a musician. After that I immersed myself in playing guitar, writing songs, making beats on my laptop and singing in my bedroom. 

Cultsha Kennis: Your song ‘Real Job’ is just pure genius! It really hits home, and speaks to the truth which many artists of all kinds experience in the face of accomplishing their creative dreams. Tell us your story behind this song, and where we can find a copy of it.  

Fruit Vendor: Many people are of the impression that being a musician (or any kind of artist) is not a real profession. It was out of this frustration that I wrote ‘Real Job’. It's a song that details the various struggles that artists face in trying to earn a living and make a success of their art. Although the song pokes a lot of fun at the things people assume the artistic profession is all about, it also presents the hard-hitting realities of the job. It also conveys the idea (I hope!) that it is not impossible to succeed, while completely dismantling the negativity that surrounds entering a career in the arts. 

‘Real Job’ will be available on my debut EP titled, ‘Giants’.

Cultsha Kennis: Do you have more original songs lurking in your top drawer somewhere? What do you like writing about?

Fruit Vendor: I have dozens of original songs all just waiting to see the light of day. I tend to write about real experiences both good and bad and current issues. I believe that any kind of art serves a function that should better society, and so I would like my music to uplift and inspire the listener. If a song is authentic and true, then I'm more than likely to see it through to the end of its creative process. But if it isn't authentic and I've written it for some or other selfish reason, often times it will fall by the way side. You learn a lot about yourself when you write songs, that's why I love it so much.

Cultsha Kennis: What do you enjoy most about living an artist’s life? 

Fruit Vendor: As a full-time artist, there is nothing better than the time freedom it allows, being able to come and go as you please and to be your own boss. Granted, that time must also be spent thinking like an entrepreneur, because when you are your own boss, you go at your own pace and that pace has to ensure that you are securing work. When you have more time and freedom, you are able to leverage the full scope of your creativity and business acumen and channel that energy into your projects. When you are pressed for time (working a day-job), not only is your time hampered but so is your energy. My personal experience of working in corporate has taught me that it is a huge sacrifice to dedicate only your evenings and weekends to your art, since it can adversely affect the quality and rate of your output - and yes, it can be incredibly frustrating! I think I appreciate my time and freedom so much more because of the negative experiences I had when I worked  late nights in the corporate world that both impeded by my time and my creativity. I'm not saying don't work a day-job, I'm saying some artists can do this, I'm one of those that can't.

Another great perk of being an artist is that I never get bored. I can't actually recall the last time I was bored to be perfectly honest. The day I get bored is the day I'm doing something I have no interest in whatsoever. I'm always involved in a few different projects simultaneously and I tend to jump between music, acting, graphic design and a range of other disciplines. Some days might be only be a day of performing, another day might be a day spent in studio recording new material or recording the work of a client, another setting up meetings and going to workshops or writing a play, another day might be spent teaching and so on. That way, when I'm feeling taxed by a certain project, the next time I come back to it I'm able to approach whatever was taxing before with a new-found zeal.

Cultsha Kennis: Describe your sound

Fruit Vendor: My music is an eclectic mix of synth-heavy pop, hip hop, R&B, rock, jazz, electronic, folk, reggae and a whole lot of other things. Most times songs will start out with just piano or guitar, once the song is complete (on paper) then I'll decide what I want the full arrangement to be. Knowers of my stuff are gonna get a lekker shock when they hear the EP! What has counted in my favour from a purely sonic perspective is my inclusion of rap/spoken word into my live set which not a lot of singer/songwriters are doing at the moment locally. I've always loved hip hop so that has come about naturally. It really tends to throw people off in a very, very good way and I find that this works to my advantage. 

Cultsha Kennis: I get really happy when I see collaboration and versatility on stage. You’ve played alongside Siphokazi Jonas at 'Poetry Under the Stars' in Kuilsriver, and you were a featured poet at ‘Grounding Sessions’ in Obz even though technically most know you for your music. I heard that you stepped into theatre and played “an abusive narcissistic sociopath” as you described on your Facebook posts, a character I can never picture you impersonating ‘coz of your people loving personality! Tell us more about your theatre experience, and how you stepped into this character on stage.   

Fruit Vendor: I've been a professional actor for 5 years now, having graduated from Stellenbosch University drama department in 2009, so I'm not new to doing theatre. I've done all kinds of theatre, from musicals to comedy to children's theatre. What was very interesting about the play I did earlier this year was that I got the opportunity to really sink my teeth into the psyche of someone with Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD), a truly layered character study. I also had to learn how to smoke for the role - something completely new to me! The production presented an insight into domestic abuse against women and children. So, in preparation I kept a character diary in which I would write down the character's thoughts and motivations. I also studied film portrayals of NPD characters, and read loads of literature and case studies from real life. In addition, playing a character so unlike myself was really lots of fun and also meant that I could really go to the extreme in bringing that character to life.

Cultsha Kennis: The stories in your songs make me think of you as a young John Mayer. Is he one of your inspirations? Who else are you inspired by, musically and in life in general? 

Fruit Vendor: Yes, John Mayer is an inspiration. But it's not just his voice and guitar playing - he's also a brilliant songwriter. I think what separates great songs and great songwriters from the throng of mediocre stuff out there, is that great songs tell great stories. A great song will remain brilliant way after the songwriter has died. In South Africa we have great instrumentalists, great singers and great producers but we have an appalling lack of great songwriters. I know very few musicians who listen to lyrics and analyse songs in the way which those who study literature might analyse and dissect poetry. That's the way I dissect the work of brilliant songwriters. There is an immense deal of power and insight in storytelling. So, my goal is to be a master storyteller. 

My favourite songwriter is Benjamin Gibbard of the band Death Cab for Cutie. I've heard very few songwriters who can completely unpack seemingly mundane everyday topics the way he does in his songs, and then make you feel like you've been punched repeatedly in the gut. Paul Simon is a close second.

My biggest local inspirations are the now defunct bands Godessa and 340ml. After listening to them some sort of turning point happened. I realised that other great music outside of the American dominated radio existed, and that just because an artist isn't famous doesn't necessarily extinguish their gift or their voice or make it inferior. Internationally I'm most influenced by bands that utilise genres that cross over in the most interesting ways, artists like K-OS, Matisyahu, Linkin Park or the Marley brothers. Recently, I've been very impressed by the songwriting of Cape Town folk singer Jennifer Eaves - her lyrics are just so authentic and they hit home so hard. Hip Hop artist Jerome Rex is also a majorly underrated songwriter in Cape Town (he's featured on two songs on the Giants EP), and he's output and body of work is huge. 

In terms of life influences, I draw most of what I write about from true life observations. My song 'First Mate' is about my dad's journeys as a sailor on the open sea. I've also recently written a song called 'Life is a Fleeting Bird' about my mom's struggle with lupus and kidney failure (grab your tissues for that) and my song 'Ten Seconds' was written about an encounter I had with a homeless man under the bridge in Muizenberg. Because I utilise a lot of public transportation I've seen and met some truly bizarre human beings. When I'm on the train for example, I almost always have my notepad out because there are things that happen in real life that just cannot be made up, so I glean many ideas from the situation at hand. Our country is rich with inspiration, but you have to be a keen observer to mine it out of the mundane. 

Cultsha Kennis: Name a few places around the city where you’ve performed, and tell us where you're performing next.

Fruit Vendor: Key places I've performed at include National Arts Festival in Grahamstown, KKNK, RAMfest, Woordfees, Cape Town Acoustic 'n Folk Music Festival, Mountain Arts Music Festival, Artscape Opera House, Solms Delta Oesfees, Artscape Suidoosterfees, the Waterfront Amphitheater and a whole host of smaller venues around the country. In the new year I will be performing in the USA in Missouri and hopefully also New York. I've shared stages with David Kramer, Die Antwoord, Prime Circle, Karen Zoid, aKing, Hemel Besem, Albert Frost, Adriaan Brand (Springbok Nude Girls), Tony Cox, Jitsvinger, Melanie Scholtz, Tribal Echo, Monique Hellenberg (Goldfish), Donovan Copley (Hotwater), Zoe Modiga, Eden Myrrh, Kyle Louw, Maya Spector, Alysia Harris (USA) and Chris Redmond (UK).

Upcoming events include the very first secret Fruit Vendor performance (if you want to be in on the deal, join the Street Team - see below), the Cape Town Folk 'n Acoustic Musical Festival (Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens) with Kahn Morbee (The Parlotones), Farryl Purkiss, BlackByrd and Majozi on 7th Feb 2016 and 12 Years A Band (Artscape) on 31st March 2016. If you're not familiar with 12 Years A Band, it's an 8 piece super-group of Cape Town's finest young musician/songwriters and includes Siphokazi Jonas, Zoe Modiga and Eden Myrrh. We made our debut at the launch of 'Music Exchange' a few months ago.

*** Do you want to get your hands on the Fruit Vendor debut EP? Then join the ‘Fruit Vendor Street Team’ and be a part of mastering this product before the end of the year! Here's how you do it: pay R200 via EFT or direct deposit to  FNB Current Account (Account No: 621 461 831 08, Branch Code: 200311, Account Name: Josh Prinsloo). Also, e-mail your name and T-Shirt size to info@thefruitvendor.com. As a reward, Street Team members will get: (1) A limited edition Fruit Vendor T-Shirt, (2) 3 Exclusive Tracks (not on the EP), (3) A free pass to a secret Fruit Vendor performance/Signing occasion, (4) Street Cred and bragging rights. Members of the ‘Fruit Vendor Street Team’ will also get special offers on merchandise, future promotions and first dibs on upcoming events. 

For more information, visit his online platforms: http://thefruitvendor.com/ and https://www.facebook.com/thefruitvendor/?fref=ts