EES will also be performing at the NamSA festival in early June, being held in Germany. This is also where he has called home for the last five years and before that, he was studying sound engineering in South Africa between 2001 and 2003. Earlier this year EES also received an MTV Rookie nomination in Germany, a first for a Namibian artist.
With eight CDs under his belt in only six years since he started making music, it was in 2005 that EES went back to Namibia and released his first single called Wo Is Die Coolbox? It was a Namibian Suidwester Deutsch track, which was supported by Namany, promoters in the finest Namibian-European music.
EES is very proud of his home country and makes this clear not only in his music, but also by literally wearing his country on his sleeve, he has created his own clothing line called EES WeaR. SA Promo spoke to EES to find out more.
Who is EES?
Yes-Ja! Huzit SA Promo eischЙ EES is a Nam-boy for life a Namibian kwaito artist, proud to be an African and a very outgoing person who wants his listeners to enjoy his music and experience what he lives for!
The name EES is basically the abbreviation for ‘Eesy Eric Sell’, since I wasn’t too motivated during my last two school years… I took everything on a very ‘ees-y’ mode and just wanted to do music.
Where did it all start for Eric Sell aka EES?
Ek se’, the whole EES movement already started back in school, when one of my African friends forced me to record a track with him! At that time I wrote a lot of lyrics and worked on a couple of instrumentals, but never really thought that I could do kwaito music. Magic sparked when I did that first recording, and since that day I knew it was music and nothing else! I’ve been through a lot of phases of music styles, but know I have found what really represents me and what I am as an African musician.
What do your Namibian roots mean to you?
Awee’! I could say its one of the most important factors to my life and my music! Just the name of my kwaito musical genre ‘Nam Flava’ explains it all! If you are away from home for a long time, you really notice what you are missing, and what is so valuable to you! I also think that Namibia has really made a mark over the last five years in terms of African music, and has made a name for ourselves… so now we are ready to take it to the next level! But it doesn’t matter which country breaks through first into the global market, it will pull the other countries along with it!
Where have you performed?
South Africa, Namibia and Germany! Ma passop, we gonna pump kwaito into a lot more countries very soon! Hopefully in England next cos I know the supporters there will raak mal!
What inspired your music?
Going from Namibia to South Africa to Europe, I have been through a lot of culture changes! And I am glad I had that journey, because that gave me the chance to find my real me and also gave me the strength to do whatever I felt right for me! It is not usual for a white African to do local kwaito music, and a lot of people judge me because of that! But I don’t care, this is 100% me doing what I love doing most ‘Nam Flava’ African style music.
What is the goal for your music career?
Awee’! Nou praat ons! Haha, well call me crazy if you want, but my goal is to take kwaito music to an international standard. It would be ignorant, not to show the world what great music we have in Southern Africa! Music came from Africa… so I see this as our time to finally shine!
