Will they or won’t they? That is one of the many themes for the latest reality TV show to be aired on Vuzu. Called The Fly Chix, the show is set to debut on the channel at 7.30pm on Wednesday.
The Fly Chix centres on the trials, tribulations and, of course, the sex and the glamour of a few hot female dancers who are now looking to make it in the world of pop as singers and performers.
However, outside of Diana Ross and the Supremes and Britain’s Spice Girls and that group with Ashley Cole’s ex-wife, there are very few all-female bands that stay around longer than the clichéd flash-in-the-pan.
So what makes the producers of the show think The Fly Chix will actually stay together long enough to make an impact on the South African pop scene?
This question is particularly valid because the producers are none other than Ghetto Ruff, the trail blazing independent hip-hop record label. Ghetto Ruff have fearlessly changed the South African musical landscape with artists like Prophets of the City, Brasse Vannie Kaap, Zola, Skeem to DJ Cleo to Jozi, Da Les and Bongani Fassie, and not forgetting their mainstay artist and producer, Ishmail.
Their first venture into reality TV was the successful Jozi – Moving the City which was aired on SABC1 in 2011. It featured Jozi’s Ishmail and Da Les adventures in recording and redefining the Jozi Muthaland sound throughout Africa with the chaotic and extremely funny David Kibuuka as their manager.
The show was a refreshing angle on the surprisingly popular but banal take on celebrity life which lacks the drama of real life and instead plays on the rich and famous lifestyle, real or written.
While the Kardashians and the YFM Twins’ Blame it on Fame are perfect examples of that banal formula, the miserable excuse for a reality show featuring Kelly Khumalo, Rolling with Kelly, was, well, just embarrassing really.
“The Fly Chix is different because most shows are embellished with drama,” explained Delphine Klaasen, co-producer and manager of the girl group.
“With this show, sometimes what happens is so traumatic that we as producers struggle in deciding what the viewers can deal with. This show portrays how the artists’ brains work, how they see themselves fitting into society.”
The Fly Chix are four pretty young things hungry for fame – Zeena, Denise, Joy and Takkies. While Zeena is the brains of the four, Denise is the feisty one (read pre-Madonna), while Joy loves a party (see Rihanna troubles) and Takkies is the ultra glamorous babe with classic Tretchykov looks.
“Zeena and Denise were dancers for Jozi,” said Klaasen. “They were really hard and dedicated workers. They expressed interest in becoming a pop group. The core of their talent comes from theatre and we liked the idea and thought it would be great to put into a television series.”
“It has been a while since Ghetto Ruff worked with females,” she continued. “There was always drama. We had issues when we worked with Boom Shaka because Thembi and Lebo were always fighting about who had the most expensive clothing.
“Ghetto Luv were more interested in being famous than anything else. We thought that putting a girl group together would be challenging and interesting, not only for us, but for the viewers, too.”
The Fly Chix have already gained some fame through their first single, It Girl, produced by up- and-coming Ghetto Ruff producer, Gordo of the Voodoo Collective.
The opening theme track suggests it all – hot, fierce, sexy.
The show opens with male artists such as DJ Cleo and Bongani Fassie discussing the problems of an all-girl group. Then the action begins. It includes Big Brother, Manchester United, chick fights and crazy fun.
The producers confess that they still don’t know the outcome of the success of The Fly Chix.
However, they do promise reality television so close to the bone that Vuzu fans will be glued to their screens every Wednesday evening.