On His Two-Single Project Perspectives, GR8FUL Shares His Gratitude with the World
By Francis Galang
CAPE TOWN, South Africa – Upcoming on November 4th, 2022, the South African rapper GR8FUL will be releasing the two-single project Perspectives. Following the release of Perspectives, GR8FUL will be releasing music videos for the singles: “Pop Off” on November 9th and “Carry On” on November 23rd. Both singles can be found on his YouTube.
“I wanted to set a high bar for myself to keep climbing and climbing,” says GR8FUL. “I want to showcase versatility and diversity on Perspectives. To showcase the best of Cape Town and South African talent on the music and visuals.”
GR8FUL was born in Cape Town, South Africa supported by his family in his development as a musician. He developed himself as a rapper in his teens, freestyling in the parks of Cape Town, and making songs about the city surrounding him. Following his studies at Cape Town’s International School and the beginning of the COVID pandemic, GR8FUL committed to pursuing music full-time, adopting his name “GR8FUL” as a constant reminder to practice gratitude.
“Gratitude is a practice,” he says. “I want to remind myself to always be practicing it. The 8 represents infinity – forever. To forever be grateful.”
Throughout the pandemic, GR8FUL has been hard at work developing himself. He has written many songs in the beginning of the 2020s but has spent recent months stepping back and refining his process. “You have to give people the quality they want to make this all last in the long term. I’ve learned that discipline gets you so much further than inspiration. Inspiration happens in the middle; you can’t wait for it. Discipline is what actually gets you started in something.”
“I’ve been studying the engineers and producers here and how they do their craft. I’ve been going out and finding what makes music click, listening to the variety of voices that make up the underground in Cape Town,” he says. “I’m understanding myself more and more and I am constantly learning. This project I’m releasing is my perspective on where I’m at in life right now.”
Perspectives is a project featuring bar-to-bar flows, banging beats, and “stuff like nothing else out there”. Perspectives is the culmination of over a year of refinement not just in its music, but in the development of its message, narrative, and overall aesthetic.
GR8FUL says, “I like to base my concepts around what I observe. What I’m exposed to culturally, musically, physically, emotionally. Anything I understand or want to understand.” “On Perspectives, I wanted to explore the idea of gratitude. That gratitude is a practice. You can have it in moments or have it forever. It depends on your perspective.”
Together with the producer Luke Goliath from the city of Port Elizabeth, GR8FUL produced the album in a series of sessions full of spontaneity, teamwork, and blossoming ideas.
“On the first day, I went to the studio, and we started cooking up beats. But by the end of the night, two beats stuck with me. The studio was next to a club, and taking it all in had me writing, writing, and writing,” he says. “The next day I met the other writers in the studio, and we spent 12 solid hours just making music together.”
The single “Pop Off” was born from this collaborative, spontaneous environment. It was made in the last minutes before the curfews from lockdowns closed Port Elizabeth for the night. GR8FUL says, “When Luke cooked up the beat, I was writing along with the other writers. Sometimes one person was singing, but everyone was writing. Eventually, we were all in a circle and we put together the chorus, verse one, verse two. We stood in a line, and it just flowed from one to another.”
“It’s crazy how people can come from different backgrounds, different perspectives on life, and come together to create something. There’s a certain power in that.”
“Carry On” is a single backed by a funk-type rhythm. GR8FUL says, “The melody was there from the beginning. Some songs just flow out of you, and this was one of them. That feeling is nostalgic. It makes me feel like a kid.”
Both singles “Pop Off” and “Carry On” will be accompanied with music videos releasing on November 9th and 23rd respectively. Both videos will showcase a variety of South African talent, with “Carry On” featuring funk-inspired visuals as well.
GR8FUL is excited to be releasing Perspectives on November 4th, 2022, happy about the journey and diverse talent represented on the album. Perspectives collects ideas born of deep reflection as well as ideas born in-the-moment, showcasing the many sides GR8FUL has to offer.
GR8FUL looks forward to a busy 2023, crafting and releasing more music made alongside Perspectives in 2022. He looks forward to showcasing his year of refinement, continually reaching the high bars he sets for himself.
Be sure to stay connected with GR8FUL on all platforms for new music, videos, and social media posts.
https://open.spotify.com/artist/1VzD3ESxdi6M58llC6AkrM?si=uam3cBt0RoOd_-JRVYFpWQ
https://music.apple.com/za/artist/gr8ful/1420278943
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClk9_vh020lzEgri3QDQGIw/videos
https://www.instagram.com/gr8fvl/
https://www.facebook.com/imaad.baderoen.3/
Website: Gr8ful.co.za (Will be relaunched day of Perspective release)
No comments:
Post a Comment