KEVIN Fraser, Minister of Entertainment! will stage on December 2 at The Globe at SunCoast.
Fraser is one of South Africa’s most-viewed comedians and content creators, who has repeatedly broken the one-million-view benchmark, with his daily observations and satires.
Born and raised in Durban, he grew up in Kloof, attending local schools Kloof Pre Primary, Kloof Junior Primary, Kloof Senior Primary and Kloof High School.
Fraser began his career in entertainment as a DJ. He then realised he could not only make people dance, but laugh a little too.
“I was into music my whole life, I think my Dad got me into it off of his love for and somewhat questionable collection of music. I started capping my parents internet by the age of 15, downloading endless streams of music, enticing me to become a DJ at 16. I simply was obsessed with collecting music, and many of my friends used to turn to me for their weekend jams.
“So much to say that one of my friends suggested I try and DJ, it all began. However, the CD’s were eventually put on the shelf when my comedy career took off. But I certainly bring that part of me into my live shows now,” said Fraser.
His passion for performance and his talent started to evolve as he began releasing videos in 2015, about his experience as an ex-pat abroad. He did so through the guise of stereotypical South African personas.
“This would be my seventh year in Comedy, my fourth year full time. It was in 2016 when one of my videos went very viral, and Angolan athlete, Demarte Pena reposted my video, instantly going viral in 2016 at one million views in a short time. I started engaging the comment threads, in turn sparking the idea that I could very well try this comedy thing, and then boom,” he said.
The success of the videos was instantaneous. Fraser’s career took off, and his fan base increased across all his online platforms.
Now based between Cape Town and Sydney in Australia, the 32-year-old has toured the UK, Europe, Australia and North America this year.
He is returning home to tour South Africa with his new show, Minister of Entertainment this festive season.
He said: “South African crowds are electric, we have so much energy to give back just as much as we do to perform as well. Because of our circumstances, we are good at laughing at ourselves and learning to cope through laughter. As The Minister of Entertainment, prepare for a hilarious journey into the world of satire, daily observations and possibly a slight poke at politics, ha,” said Fraser.
Fraser’s style of comedy comes across as needed to be a major balancing/juggling act. He is sharp and witty on current matters; in the know with different cultural/community nuances (whether South African or globally), and, in the case of his stereotypical characters, it's more than just a change of accent, it's his body language and balancing humour tastefully without offending.
Asked what he though is key to holding it all together and pulling off that absurdism and satire, without being offensive, Fraser said: “I appreciate how much my audience values that. I guess the simple answer is, be a Gemini,” he joked.
“However in diving into what I do, I have always tried to speak and perform about the daily observations and situations I encounter in life. It just so happens that this resonates with my audience and they find happiness in clips, my rants and the South African culture I embody. It has always come from a place of love, a place of reality and relativity to my fans. I’ve always been a thinker and comedy allows a wonderful opportunity to get people to laugh and think at the same time,” said Fraser.
* The show begins at 8pm. Tickets are available at www.kevinfraserofficial.com
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