Durban - Award-winning flautist, producer and composer Wouter Kellerman’s collaboration with the Ndlovu Youth Choir recently had them bag Hollywood Music in Media Award in the Best Independent Video category.
Late last year, Kellerman said he had received a request from a Nigerian artist to do a collaboration, part of which he wanted a South African youth choir. Kellerman’s manager, Tholsi Pillay, went out looking for choirs and she found the Ndlovu Youth Choir.
“I started working together with them and I was so impressed by their energy and enthusiasm. Then we did a collaboration to help them show their talent to the rest of the world.
“We ended up doing Shape of You by Ed Sheeren, then I put it up on my YouTube channel and social pages and it just went viral.
“This is when America’s Got Talent got wind of this and approached the choir and asked them to enter the competition,” Kellerman explained.
He said he was impressed with how well the choir dealt with the stress of being on an international stage, saying he was shocked at how they absorbed the pressure and managed to perform as beautifully as they did.
He said the choir’s performance was testament to its members’ courage and spirit.
Kellerman said making the video was challenging because they had a tight window to complete it before he was scheduled to go on an international tour.
“Finishing the project took hard work and much effort. I’m happy they won the award, it was their first big award and I’m very grateful to have worked with them on the song.”
Kellerman had been nominated for the award, but he did not win, which is why he said this win was special to him.
In future, Kellerman said he hoped to work on another collaboration
with the choir, but for now he
wanted them to capitalise on the opportunity they had been given and ensure that they built their brand into something sustainable.