Finally, in Standard six, she asked her father to show her a few chords.
At 13, Karen wrote her first song in the hostel of the National School of Arts in Johannesburg . Initially inspired by Grunge, she graduated into playing in the bands Koma, Seaweed and Bad Weather. She used to be a well-known face as the busker on the street corners of Melville, where she honed her song writing and guitar playing skills.
Zoid's debut solo album, "POLES APART", was released by EMI in June 2001 - a personal, eclectic journey as a songwriter and guitarist. Delving into issues like love, philosophy, and day-to-day aspects such as waitress stress, the sound is indigenous with an aesthetically South African feel. Singing in English and Afrikaans with Zulu on a delightful bonus track, she arrived as a distinctively new sound on the music scene, with an acoustic, intellectual and sometimes satirical approach.
The album immediately made a huge impact. In the authoritative SA Rock Digest (at www.sarockdigest.com ) she shot into the charts. "Poles Apart" spent many weeks at number 1 and was the SA Rock Digest Album Of The Year for 2001. Both "Set of Wheels" and "Engel" went to number 1 on the best song chart, whilst "Afrikaners is Plesierig" reached number 4.
The album has since been play listed on most radio stations.
The press have taken to her. She has featured on many front covers of magazines and newspapers.
On 20 July 2001 , in an almost unheard of situation for a new entrant, Karen Zoid and her band had a full hour-long concert on Draadloos, KykNet Television, which made a major impact on the SA music scene.
She has been featured with television performances and interviews on all TV stations, including the programmes Kwela, JIP, Smelt, Geraas, Dube, Craze, QTV and Mamela week.
Her first music video, "Afrikaners is Plesierig", made a huge impact on TV, was shown at Aardklop and has been entered for a major international film festival in Finland . With a cast of more than 20 actors and shot on location on a cowboy ghost town set, this video is one of the best ever local music videos. The TV programme JIP flight'ed an insert on the making of the music video.
Karen Zoid was nominated for five awards in the "Geraas" music awards 2001
- Best Live Artist
- Best Rock Album
- Best New Artist
- Best Songwriter
- Best Arranger
She won in the categories Best New Artist and Best Rock Album.
Since the release of Poles Apart mid-2001 her songs have been included on several rock and alternative compilation cds.
Karen plays rhythm guitar and is joined on stage by three outstanding musicians: Don Reinecke on lead guitar, Llewelyn John on bass guitar and Bradley Cooper on percussion.
Karen Zoid and her band have become major attractions all over South Africa , headlining major rock concerts and touring at most major venues.
She is working on her next album and has already written many new songs that have been heard by audiences all over the country.
In June 2003 Karen Zoid toured the UK and Europe where she performed at UKKASIE among a few other venues.
The long awaited second album "Chasing The Sun" is a definite progression from the first album, and was released in June/July 2003.
The following of the Karen Zoid phenomenon has also transformed into a much wider audience and the live performance has become even more captivating than before.
|
