AB de Villiers is a man of many talents.
Sports fans know that his breathtaking batting has earned him the reputation as one of the best big hitters in the business. And De Villiers has also shown his brilliance as an outstanding fielder and wicket keeper.
Few are aware that the 36-year-old has also excelled in sports such as rugby, golf, and tennis during his schooling years.
But his talents don’t stop at sports.
The Pretoria-born sportsman is now on his way to making a name for himself as a singer and songwriter.
Last week, the he released his first single The Flame, a song which he’s collaborated with popular local musician Karen Zoid, as well as the Ndlovu Youth Choir.
The trio joined forces to record a song of joy, inspiration and hope.
After what has been a difficult and trying year in South Africa and around the world, their new single and music video for The Flame aims to inspire and uplift South Africa and the rest of the world.
De Villiers, who arrived back from Dubai this week after competing with the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League (IPL), spoke of his excitement at the release of his new single.
“It was an amazing experience teaming up with Karen and the choir. Certainly to a large extent it was a dream come true for me,” De Villiers told the Saturday Star.
“I always really enjoyed my music and enjoyed writing and playing instruments, but I never expected to ever be recording a song with Karen and the choir. It’s an inspirational song and I’m just happy we finally got it out there.
The song was recorded before he left for the IPL, the music video was shot during the tournament.
De Villiers shot his part of the video on his cell phone, while Zoid and the popular choir recorded their parts together at Supersport Park in Centurion.
He says it was a thrill being able to record a song with such talented musicians.
“ A few months ago, I went to Cape Town to spend time with Karen. We sat down and wrote down a few ideas, and we ended up writing a few songs together . One of them was The Flame.
“At the time , the song was a little bit different in the verses, there were a couple of different words and a different melody but the chorus sort of stayed the same.
“We decided together we needed to get an inspirational message out there. I tried to think of some of the lessons I learnt throughout the years in cricket and sort of try to relate to everyday life and the challenges we face.
“It was the same with Karen. She is obviously a fantastic songwriter and musician. It comes naturally to her to get words together.
“We got a nice strong melody especially in the chorus. It didnt take a long time to write. It was a lot of fun and exactly the kind of message we needed to get out there especially with the pandemic that struck.“
De Villiers believes the song has been released at just the right time.
“It comes at a very good time. We desperately need a bit of hope in SA, and this is what the song is all about.
“It’s about hope and belief, and to encourage people to see the positive side of life and always see the glass half full instead of half empty. I think we need leaders in SA to stand up.”
While De Villiers worked closely with Zoid and the choir, they all recorded their parts of the song individually.
“I recorded my part of the song in Pretoria the day before I left for the IPL, while Karen did her part in a studio outside of Cape Town and the choir did it in Polokwane.
“It sums up this whole Covid situation.”
Speaking about his love for music, De Villiers says it began at an early age.
“I started singing when I was quite young, in the primary school choir, and I performed in a couple of school concerts.
“I also learnt to play guitar when I was really young, but never really took it further. I always really enjoyed playing around a campfire, during high school. I was a border at Affies and I used to play for my room-mates. We sang together and had fun but I never thought of taking it further.
“My cricket career has given me the opportunity to connect with some musicians and in that way I started taking it a bit further.“
But does De Villiers consider himself a good singer?
“I'm certainly not a world beater when it comes to vocal talent, but I can keep a note and I’m pretty good at keeping with harmonies. My range is not incredible, but it’s okay.”
“A while ago I sang with Karen on stage and had so much fun. I have always felt very comfortable with her voice next to mine. Obviously she's a very powerful singer who can reach high and low notes, but for some reason singing next to her just feels right.”
“Singing on my own is a different story,” he giggles
De Villiers says he may also have a Protea teammate who would be keen on joining him in the music world one day.
“When I asked some friends over at the IPL to join me on the music video Kagiso Rabada was very excited to do it. He was so keen. He even mentioned that perhaps in the future , it’s something he would like to do. I think KG would certainly be interested in one day collaborating or writing his own songs.”
Now that he’s recorded his first song, De Villiers says he’s certainly looking to record more in the future.
“We are expecting our third baby pretty soon, so for now I'm just going to enjoy being at home. There’s definitely a possibility of getting involved again, and I think I have a few more things to say so hopefully soon I'll get a couple more songs out.”