SA country and western duo Franja du Plessis and Ivan Roux blew Port Alfred audiences away with their mix of up-tempo Afrikaans tunes and ballads during a short tour of the town on Friday.
The pair both solo artists, had their first stop at Port Alfred High School playing a short promo session for excited pupils in the school hall. They followed that up with an outdoor gig at the Guido’s Restaurant on West Beach later that night.
Opening up with hit song, Vere, Du Plessis had her youthful audience up on their feet jumping wildly to the lively beat and then some more when Le Roux made his appearance on stage to belt out two of his original tunes.
“Were you surprised that some of the children actually sang along with your tunes,” was the first question put to the duo who sat down for a chat with Talk of the Town.
“Not what I was expecting to be 100% honest with you,” said 43-year-old Roux. “We didn’t know if we were coming to an English or Afrikaans school,” says Roux.
“Yeah, it did surprise me. I am not used to playing in school halls … it was a bit daunting because you don’t know what to expect from teenagers,” he laughs.
Du Plessis said the vibrant atmosphere was something special.
“The learners responded positively and we are very thankful for that. We always feed from the crowd’s energy and it really gives us a boost when they sing along and dance. ”
Roux who like 32-year-old du Plessis is based in Pretoria, is a self-taught musician adding that though they are predominantly Afrikaans musicians “it is important to be one with the crowd when going on stage”.
“For example, at the hall I started with two original songs, to kind of figure out the crowd. When I see perhaps it’s an older crowd I would go to some 80s music. Then I would put the backing tracks off and then it’s just me and the guitar.”
Roux released his first country album last year, titled About Last Night releasing and performing it at the DHL stadium at a country music festival. “That was very cool,” he says. That was followed by a single, Morsig.
Roux is fervently working on new music and “just trying to get my music out there”.
“That is why we are putting this tour together in January as November and December is generally quiet for the two of us. That is why we are touring now in January … we see these tours more as part of a marketing strategy.”
The multi-platinum singer and song writer began his musical journey playing in small bars and finished second in the first season of reality series “Die kontrak”. His talents have taken him on tours to Dubai, Egypt, Australia and New Zealand.
Du Plessis whose debut album Verhaal (My Story) went platinum in 2016 is daughter of well-known Afrikaans music hitmaker, Juanita du Plessis. She says a lot goes in to the life of a full-time musician.
“No day is the same, every day is different. There’s no routine. For me I have a passion for music … I grew up in a musical home, so since I was at primary school I knew I wanted to do music. I worked in a studio in the production side of things too and that taught me a lot.”
Du Plessis proved she’s just as happy behind the controls as she is singing with guitar in hand, having produced older brother Ruan Josh’s album Wysers in 2023.
Du Plessis and Roux could easily be mistaken for being an on-stage musical duo but are very much solo artists pursuing their own paths. “It’s just that we have the same booking agent,” says Roux..
“Ivan is so musical … and it’s great doing the sound checks and jam sessions too with him,” says du Plessis.
“We feed off each other, and I think I have learnt quite a lot from Franja …, just getting to know each other on a musical level … it’s so cool,” says Roux.
Ivan says a tape of late Michael Jackson’s monumental hit Thriller that his mom brought home one day was the moment that started it all for him.
“I would dance to that tape whenever I got home from school up until 5pm in the afternoon. I knew there and then that’s what I wanted to do … I remember the way he (Michael Jackson) entertained the people and I knew I wanted to do that. All I wanted to do was make people happy with music.”
- This article was first published in Talk of the Town, February 6, 2025. The newspaper serving the communities of Ndlambe and the Sunshine Coast, with a weekly wrap of Makhanda news, is available at stores from early on Thursdays.
