Local makes Battle of the Bands

Lyla Illing, Roodepoort’s rising star in the music industry is a semi-finalist among 14 others at the popular Battle of the Bands Competition.

The Battle of the Bands is a competition that creates a platform for bands to further their music careers where constructive feedback is given after every performance. The competition officially started on 23 August and will run every Sunday until 6 December.

Popular bands such as the Parlotones, Prime Circle and Freshly Ground have performed at this event.

When Lyla was asked if she could perform with any musician, dead or alive, who would it be, she chose Amy Winehouse because she feels the artist was misunderstood.

“I started taking singing seriously after I finished high school. I realised how easy it is today for musicians to be misunderstood which is why I can slightly relate to Amy Winehouse,” said the 23-year old Lyla who is a Junior Producer at Hot 91.9 fm.

Although she is slowly making her mark in the music industry, she has been let down by various influential people in the industry.

Lyla auditioned four times for the internationally known Idols SA competition and did not make it past the audition round. She also auditioned for The Voice South Africa which was unsuccessful too.

However, this did not stop her who is on the road to reaching her dreams of becoming a famous singer.

“So far, everything is going really well and I am quite confident about the competition. I have also received a tremendous amount of support from the public and people at my workplace which I am grateful for,” Lyla said.

Taking her past experiences of knocking on closed doors into consideration, she urges aspiring musicians not to give up on their dreams.

“You might not achieve what you want the first time around, however you should be ready to take a few punches. Importantly, use the advice you receive from your mentors and don’t take anything for granted.”

Watch Lyla perform on Sunday, 22 November, when the semi-finals commences at Rumours Lounge at 5pm. The entrance fee is R20.

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