Three decades after his career started, local musician and singer Pieter Rischmüller continues to make his mark in the music industry.
He won his seventh Afri-Indie Award recently.
“I’m celebrating 30 years in the music industry this year, and to still be going after all this time is an indication that all the hard work over the years continues to pay off,” a grateful Rischmüller said after the recent Afri-Indie Music Awards.
The awards were held on August 7 in Tshwane, and the Mbombela resident was up for four awards. These were the Best Gospel Single for “Christmas Star ft West”, Best Adult Contemporary Single for “Khaki Hugo”, Best Southern Rock Single for “Feel Good ft Raymanband”, and Best Southern Rock Album for Stories.
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Rischmüller went to the awards with a fair amount of pedigree to his name already as the proud holder of six Afri-Indie Awards and four South African Music Awards.
True to form, Rischmüller returned home from Tshwane with yet another award to his name, winning his seventh Afri-Indie Award in the Best Southern Rock Album category. “This award is extremely special to me as this album is deeply personal and very close to my heart,” Rischmüller said.
Stories was a true labour of love for Rischmüller as he had started working on the album in early 2020, spending four years working perfecting it before it was released earlier this year. “True to the title of the album, every song is a story, either a personal story or a story from people close to me. This makes the award even sweeter for me.”
Another aspect that made it so special is that it was the first time his family was present at the award ceremony. “My wife and my children were there with me to experience it, and this means a lot to me.”
His wife, Lanie, actually forms a large part of what Rischmüller plans to do next in his career. “My wife is a beautiful singer and I’d really like to help her record a studio album, and record a duet with her too,” he said.
The release of Stories came some six years after his first solo album was released, but he says fans won’t have to wait that long for his next release. “I’ve already begun work on my next album, so I promise not to make everyone wait that long again.”
He hopes to do a fair bit of compilation and feature work with other artists too.
Rischmüller moved to the Lowveld in September 2023, relocating from Cape Town. He was born and raised in Pretoria, but immediately felt at home in Mbombela when he and his family arrived. “We’re very happy in the Lowveld and it was definitely the best decision we could’ve made.”
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