Tian Nienaber, the talented singer-songwriter, makes his first appearance on the show in over two years. During this time, he has witnessed significant changes in the music industry, and in our latest episode with him, we delve into some of the intriguing aspects of his journey.
Navigating the Music Scene in 2023
Being a musician in 2023 is no simple feat. Tian sheds light on the challenges and intricacies of the profession.
He emphasises, ‘There’s a lot of people that think, this guy just pitches up at venues over weekends and plays guitar and sings a bit. Unfortunately, if it were that easy, there’d be a lot more people doing it. There’s a lot of admin that goes into it. You have to look for venues to play at, get your contracts ready, constantly work on new material, practice, and make sure you’re up to scratch on everything, so there’s a lot of stuff happening behind the scenes that a lot of people miss out on.’
Music as a Business
In the modern music industry, making a living as an independent musician demands more than just creating music.
Tian highlights, ‘At the end of the day, it’s not about the money, but it is called the music industry for a reason; it is a business. If you want to make money and be able to survive without having to struggle from day to day, there’s a lot of effort that goes into it. There are a lot of artists that focus on making music with business being secondary; that’s where the creative mind sometimes thrives, so I get why a lot of people enjoy that aspect of it, but I’m someone who enjoys the small luxuries in life; I enjoy eating well; I enjoy having some good coffee, so I need to work hard.’
Thriving Afrikaans Alt Scene
One of the exciting developments in the music scene is the emergence of alternative artists in the Afrikaans music landscape.
Tian notes, ‘The Afrikaans scene is actually growing quite a bit; there’s a lot of guys coming up. One of the big names that’s popping up everywhere is Zaan Sonnekus; he’s been doing extremely well. The other day I was at 20 years of Fokofpolisiekar, and then you see bands like Fuzigish that've been together since 1997; they’re not Afrikaans, but they’re building up into an industry where the alt side is becoming popular. So I think in the next couple of years it’ll continue growing. As long as you get guys out there that are willing to work hard on the art form of alt music, the crowds will continue growing.’
Tian's Top Picks
To get a glimpse into Tian's musical preferences, we asked him to give us his top Alt Afrikaans picks. Surprisingly, his style of writing leans towards alt-rock, but his listening habits differ.
‘When I listen to music, it’s usually just some guy with an acoustic guitar who’s a singer-songwriter. A songwriter I’ve been listening to quite a lot is Ashton Wheeler, who’s not really alternative, but he’s into songwriting. Then you’ve got guys like Stefan Jansen, who’s also not really alternative, but he’s trying to bring the folk side into Afrikaans music, which isn’t something that is done often. So there’s a lot of guys that are trying to make the larger scheme of genres in South Africa, pop into Afrikaans culture as well.’
Conclusion
In our conversation with Tian, it becomes evident that success in the music industry in 2023 requires more than just playing gigs. Musicians have to put in extra hours and hard work to make a living. This approach has been adopted by prominent bands like Fokofpolisiekar and Fuzigish, and it's evident in the upcoming wave of musicians mentioned in Tian's top picks. We encourage you to support local musicians by attending shows, buying merchandise, engaging with their social media content, and letting them know they're heard, so that the music scene can operate as efficiently as the thriving Afrikaans scene has in recent times.
While we've highlighted some key points from our interview with Tian, there are more topics discussed in the full audio episode, such as the impact of load shedding on music venues in South Africa and the demands of social media. For a more in-depth look, check out the full audio episode here.
