It is impossible to be untouched by the environmental influences that surround you when you grow up in a space that has been referred to as “the land God made in anger”.
ANDRA grew up in Swakopmund - a small town squashed between the cold Atlantic Ocean and the mystic Namib Desert. Along with the inspiration from stories told about the shipwrecks of the Skeleton Coast, the folklore attached to the land and story-triggers she observed and encountered at the coffee shop where she worked, it is clearly evident that these elements are echoed in her song-writing.
ANDRA moved to Pretoria, South Africa in 2007 and soon teamed up with producer Ludwig Bouwer. “Secrets and Skeletons… Notes from a Desert Café” was released towards the end of 2007 - an album drawing immense attention not only in South Africa but also from music critics around the world mainly because of the honesty, individualism and sincerity of the music and lyrics.
The album’s release was followed by several nationwide South African tours, a sold-out tour of Namibia and performances at major Southern African festivals such as Up the Creek, InniBos, Splashy Fen, White Mountain Folk Festival, STRAB, Aardklop and Oppikoppi.
Whilst in the middle of a busy touring schedule, ANDRA returned to the studio in March 2009 – again with producer Ludwig Bouwer. Six months later saw her complete her much awaited second album “Ever had that feeling” – an album that sails across open waters; sometimes stormy, sometimes calm but always vivid and intense.
The Wild Horses of the southern Namib survived by adapting to a completely new and harsh environment. Yet, they still kept their freedom to live according to their own instinctive rules. The music and lyrics of “Ever had that feeling” reflects this instinct amidst freedom to explore and create. Bearing in mind the almost isolated background she comes from, ANDRA is not influenced by her musical contemporaries and simply portrays the vision and integrity of each song in the way she was inspired to do. She draws from the same well of honesty as Tom Waits and Leonard Cohen.
With this album she crosses all boundaries. Alternative folk-styled tracks like “Horse at the Water”, the heart wrenching “I’m not ready” and the passionate “Broken Spanish” amongst others illustrate the depth and range of ANDRA’s talent as a songwriter. It must also be noted that ANDRA played most of the instruments used to create “Ever had that Feeling”. As she explains: “I had all these instruments at my disposal – from the mandolin to the ukulele. We experimented with different percussive sounds by not necessarily using traditional percussion instruments and although I am by no means a mandolin player, I had a lot of fun exploring the various instruments”.
Her ever growing number of fans realizes that ANDRA’s music is constantly evolving, reflecting new dimensions and exciting sounds without losing her “voice of the desert” quality. In this spirit, the new album will attract both folk and alternative music lovers, not to mention most genres in between. True to her nature, ANDRA underplays the effect of her music: “I’m just telling stories, attaching sounds” she states.
Though the album’s release was initially scheduled for October 2009, the confirmation of ANDRA’s first European tour during that time necessitated a later launch date. A 10-date sold-out tour of Belgium, Germany, Austria and France, supporting the platinum selling singer/songwriter Sarah Bettens (lead-singer of K’s Choice) followed. ANDRA’s heartfelt performances on the tour resulted in numerous invitations to return to Europe in 2010.
ANDRA grew up in Swakopmund - a small town squashed between the cold Atlantic Ocean and the mystic Namib Desert. Along with the inspiration from stories told about the shipwrecks of the Skeleton Coast, the folklore attached to the land and story-triggers she observed and encountered at the coffee shop where she worked, it is clearly evident that these elements are echoed in her song-writing.
ANDRA moved to Pretoria, South Africa in 2007 and soon teamed up with producer Ludwig Bouwer. “Secrets and Skeletons… Notes from a Desert Café” was released towards the end of 2007 - an album drawing immense attention not only in South Africa but also from music critics around the world mainly because of the honesty, individualism and sincerity of the music and lyrics.
The album’s release was followed by several nationwide South African tours, a sold-out tour of Namibia and performances at major Southern African festivals such as Up the Creek, InniBos, Splashy Fen, White Mountain Folk Festival, STRAB, Aardklop and Oppikoppi.
Whilst in the middle of a busy touring schedule, ANDRA returned to the studio in March 2009 – again with producer Ludwig Bouwer. Six months later saw her complete her much awaited second album “Ever had that feeling” – an album that sails across open waters; sometimes stormy, sometimes calm but always vivid and intense.
The Wild Horses of the southern Namib survived by adapting to a completely new and harsh environment. Yet, they still kept their freedom to live according to their own instinctive rules. The music and lyrics of “Ever had that feeling” reflects this instinct amidst freedom to explore and create. Bearing in mind the almost isolated background she comes from, ANDRA is not influenced by her musical contemporaries and simply portrays the vision and integrity of each song in the way she was inspired to do. She draws from the same well of honesty as Tom Waits and Leonard Cohen.
With this album she crosses all boundaries. Alternative folk-styled tracks like “Horse at the Water”, the heart wrenching “I’m not ready” and the passionate “Broken Spanish” amongst others illustrate the depth and range of ANDRA’s talent as a songwriter. It must also be noted that ANDRA played most of the instruments used to create “Ever had that Feeling”. As she explains: “I had all these instruments at my disposal – from the mandolin to the ukulele. We experimented with different percussive sounds by not necessarily using traditional percussion instruments and although I am by no means a mandolin player, I had a lot of fun exploring the various instruments”.
Her ever growing number of fans realizes that ANDRA’s music is constantly evolving, reflecting new dimensions and exciting sounds without losing her “voice of the desert” quality. In this spirit, the new album will attract both folk and alternative music lovers, not to mention most genres in between. True to her nature, ANDRA underplays the effect of her music: “I’m just telling stories, attaching sounds” she states.
Though the album’s release was initially scheduled for October 2009, the confirmation of ANDRA’s first European tour during that time necessitated a later launch date. A 10-date sold-out tour of Belgium, Germany, Austria and France, supporting the platinum selling singer/songwriter Sarah Bettens (lead-singer of K’s Choice) followed. ANDRA’s heartfelt performances on the tour resulted in numerous invitations to return to Europe in 2010.
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Now playing 90 second clip from the album - "Ever had that feeling" - I am.MP3