Chris Chameleon’s new album is a far cry from the ‘monki punk’ of the 1990s, but one that is sure to further cement his status as a respected artist.
Posduif marks the first time the platinum-selling artist collaborated on a full album with someone else – this someone else being Daniella Deysel, a young poet.
“When you renovate a house, you sometimes hire a handyman that does plumbing and electrical work,” said Chameleon. “Inevitably, a pipe gets blocked or the power goes out… And you realise you should’ve hired people who specialise in plumbing or electricity.”
“I’m proud of my lyrics. I think I’m a good handyman, so that pipe is not going to leak, but I sometimes enjoy watching another ‘handyman’ at work…”
Chameleon is no stranger to bringing poetry into his music.
His 2005 debut album Ek Herhaal Jou and his 2011 album As Jy Weer Skryf featured the poetry of Ingrid Jonker.
Chameleon met Deysel at a musical performance in Stellenbosch they both attended.
He said he spotted her standing alone, but rather than looking uneasy, she seemed quite comfortable.
“That’s something I do, and it resonated with me. I approached her and introduced myself to her,” he said.
“In those first moments, I felt that we are kindred spirits. I recognised in her an intelligence and maturity beyond her years. I knew I wanted to see her again.”
While the two got to know each other over time, Deysel kept her poetry under wraps until Chameleon saw her writing something in a note book one day.
“She was very bashful about it. I asked her what she was doing, and she said that she was writing ‘little rhymes’. When I laid eyes on her poetry, I had the same sense about her as when we first met,” he said.
“In poetry, every word has an emotional value; sensibility is second to sensory experience. It’s a wonderful challenge to compose music to poetry – one has to unlock the inherent melody in the text.”
Chameleon said the composition of the album confirmed his connection with Deysel.
“I’d play pieces of music to her, and she’d say that it was exactly the way the poem ‘felt’ to her. I felt almost guilty about getting the ‘composer’ credit,” he said.
Deysel’s poems will be available in the form of scented letters.
Details: www.chrischameleon.com
WATCH: Chris Chameleon and Daniella Deysel – Die Weerkatsing:https://youtu.be/w-VO7Rdj2vk
