Canadian pop duo Neon Dreams have dominated local streaming charts with their smash hit ‘Life Without Fantasies’ for several months now. They’ve felt so much love from their South African fans that they even organized a multi-city tour around the country which is scheduled to start in May.
However, before hitting the road performing some of their biggest hits, Frank Kadillac and Adrian Morris opted to head over a month early to take in everything Mzansi has to offer. After spending a few weeks in Cape Town, the duo jetted up to the country’s economic capital Johannesburg to shoot an exciting new music video for an upcoming collaboration with Mzansi’s very own Mthandazo Gatya.
After the success of ‘Life Without Fantasies’, Neon Dreams knew that they wanted to explore some collaborations from artists from the country.
Vocalist Frank Kadillac explains that while ‘Life Without Fantasies’ was charting in the top three on Spotify’s South Africa Viral 50 chart between October and November last year, Mthandazo’s DJ Manzo and Comado-assisted hit ‘Senzeni’ often blocked them from hitting number one.
Kadillac explains that while there was a language barrier, he and Adrian quickly fell in love with the vibe of the song. This inspired a new song the duo were working on a few weeks later.
“I went to Sedona, Arizona in January to write some new music. I really wanted to write a song with South Africa in mind. We were all feeling so good that ‘Life without Fantasies’ had found a home there,” Kadillac explains. “We would get dozens of beautiful messages every day from fans that inspired a new song we wrote titled ‘Say It Out Loud’.
Neon Dreams knew that they wanted to elevate the song by adding an African flair as a tribute to the country that inspired it – and believed that Mthandazo would be a perfect fit. “We sent Mthandazo the song and, within days, he sent back his vocals,” Kadillac continues. “He’s an amazing person to work with and his voice is just beautiful.”
Over the past few days, Neon Dreams and Mthandazo Gatya have been shooting the track’s official music video in and around Soweto and the Johannesburg CBD. Directed by Kyle White, the visuals are expected to be some of the band’s best yet.
Although the single won’t be released for a few more weeks, Neon Dreams are excited for South Africa to hear how they’ve managed to create a track which effortlessly blends their Canadian flair with that of the country that has been so responsive to their music.
Where are the photo credits for this picture?
Where are the photo credits for this picture!?