Katia De Vallier, a South African singer, is a unique blend of a skilled actuary and a passionate show jumper, with occasional stints in entertainment. In our recent interview, she shared insights into her captivating music video for the song Vir Ewig, the advantages of collaborating with a publicist, her cautious approach to the music industry, and more.
Embracing Part-Time Artistry
Not many South African artists dub themselves occasional entertainers, despite having to balance their music careers with day jobs. Katia embraces this fully and lets us in on why she’s a part-time musician.
Katia explains, ‘Oh gosh, I’ve got a few friends that are professionals in the industry, and I see how hard they work, and it’s a tough industry. My friends are so good; they’re so amazing and so talented, and their work ethic is next to none, but they just don’t get the exposure that I think they deserve, and I think that’s the hard part. When I left school, I had to study something, so I kind of just got into the grind that way, but I am just so privileged that I can do both and get to perform.’
Unlocking Opportunities with a Publicist
We all know by now that publicists have the ability to open doors that may be out of reach in the initial or latter stages of one’s music career. Katia opens up about how working with a publicist has benefitted her.
She says, ‘First and foremost, I sing my publicist’s praises every day of the week. Genevieve is amazing at what she does. She put me in touch with people that I'd never be able to get a hold of. We’ve done so many radio interviews, I’ve done podcasts, we were on TV on Die GROOT Ontbyt, and we were also on Morning Live, which was a fantastic opportunity. And I wouldn’t have been able to do that without her. So if you’re serious about the project you’re working on or just your music in general, having a publicist will definitely help push you along.’
Joburg: SA’s Entertainment Capital?
There have been many TV portrayals of fathers leaving their families to go and find work in Johannesburg back in the day, and in a way, this has also trickled down to the entertainment space, with artists eyeing out moves to Joburg, and recently, Cape Town, for greener pastures. As someone who’s been part of the space for a while now, Katia tells us whether Joburg really is the holy grail.
Katia expresses, ‘I just think there’s a lot of opportunity up here to perform. There’s also a lot of recording studios and people in the know that can help you along in your career. You can make your music anywhere if you have good enough equipment, but I think it definitely does help, if you need exposure and actually want to gig, to be in a place that offers you a lot of opportunities.’
Top Picks
As usual, it wouldn’t be a complete interview without some South African top picks. If Katia had to put together a local lineup, these would be the artists she’d consider.
’I would make a show with my friends. That includes Lee Cole and Miguel Pregueiro, who also has a lot of good tunes out on the radio, and we have worked together in the past. In the Afrikaans market, there’s also quite a few singers I admire. I love Demi Lee Moore, and I’d love to sing a song with her. I would also love to do a show with Ballyhoo; they sang the song Man on the Moon. They’re iconic, they’re like legends in the industry, and they recently got back together and they’re out there doing their thing again. It’s just something else to watch people with that amount of experience still rocking it and entertaining.’
Conclusion
Katia De Vallier's story is a testament to the multifaceted nature of artists. Her journey as a part-time musician, actuary, and show jumper showcases the richness that comes from pursuing diverse passions. Through her experiences, Katia offers valuable insights into the music industry and the importance of seizing opportunities to further one's craft. Catch her full audio interview here for some of the other gems she dropped.
