The talents of Rand Park High School’s resident band Suspended was showcased on season 2 of SABC 3’s Talent On Track show on 16 September.
The band won the St Mary’s School Battle of the Bands best original song award and was given the opportunity to record their song, Cinderella, in a professional studio.
The show Talent on Track is a docu-reality TV series that focuses on finding young musical talent at a young age. Hundreds of applicants submit their music demos for the competition or qualify by being spotted by Talent On Track’s talent spotters.
Following Suspended’s recent success at the Battle of the Bands, the band went on to record their song in studio. It was here that their unique talent was identified and the invitation to audition followed.
Band members Gugu Nyoni, Joshuah De Oliveira, Timothy Langa, Jason Wilson and Andrea Ramsay formed their alternative rock band and enjoyed the experience of participating in the TV documentary.
Their song was recorded as an acoustic version of the original song and the process of recording the track was showcased on the television show.
Lead singer of the band Gugu Nyoni explained that the experience was almost surreal at first. “I couldn’t believe that I was actually in a studio and recording this song. It felt very natural to be behind the recording mic and I realised that I wouldn’t mind spending hours in a studio in the future, producing more original songs. It was an amazing experience.”
Band Manager Simon Smith is part of the Rand Park High School staff and has spent many hours mentoring and coaching the learners in music, as part of the school’s cultural programme. The band members enjoyed the opportunity to learn from Smith while developing long-lasting friendships that have contributed to their success.
Nyoni added that she chose Rand Park High School because of the extensive arts and culture programme at the school. “Rand Park has been very supportive of our band and we have had great exposure because of the school’s commitment to culture. We are so privileged to be a part of this great school.”
The school’s dean of culture and deputy principal Tracy Workman-Davies commended the band and their success. “We are very proud of the band’s ability to work well together, understand each other and enjoy the process of composing music and performing live and in-studio. Suspended deserves their success and being recognised for excellence on Talent on Track has been both humbling and very exciting for our school.”
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