In the loop with Jeremy
JOBURG – Award-winning modern folk singer/songwriter, Jeremy Loops, is undoubtedly one of South Africa’s finest musical exports. We caught up with acoustic virtuoso to talk about his latest single, tour and upcoming third album.
Q You recently completed your Mortal Man Tour, how was the energy?
A It was great, man! We’ve had beautiful shows and we’re excited to have played at some new places. It’s nice to play for people who haven’t seen you before.
Q Earlier this year, you had the Golden Waves Tour, not only was it in celebration of Gold and Waves reaching gold, but you also ran a donation campaign alongside the tour. How the campaign pen out and what did pushed you to add a philanthropic aspect to the tour?
A It went really well. We got a lot of clothes and blankets and things people need in shelters. I’ve always been trying to make it more than just about celebration and music. We have such a huge disparity in South Africa, so many people who need support and at my shows I’ve got thousands of people coming together and these are people who can generally afford to lend a helping hand. It feels like the right way to go – to bring people together for the right reasons.
Q You’re known for your philanthropy, how do you find a balance between making music that resonates with so many people and still do good and lend a helping hand?
A It’s difficult because it’s a lot of work to make music first and it comes with a lot of challenges and sacrifice. It’s similar to most philanthropic work, it comes with lots of challenges and sacrifices and there’s no easy way to do it. For me, it’s important and I prioritise it in my music and thankfully my audience are the same kind of people who like to give back.
Q How has your love for music grown – from your first album to your forthcoming third album?
A I’m almost done with the third album. I’m almost entirely sure that it’s my best work by far. There’s a lot of pressure and on my first album there wasn’t so much pressure because I was just happy to be making music and with my second album the pressure started because I had to follow up my first album. On the third album I’ve been feeling a lot more freedom and dabbling in some interesting new sounds – it’s going to be exciting for my audience to see what comes next.
Q You recently released What Would I know, what inspired you to tackle the existential crises – both evident and hidden – that a lot of people face?
A It came from an incident where I had to learn how to let go and get out of my own way – sometimes the person standing in your way is you.
Q Why did you and Rob decide to shoot a western-style video and how was it finally starring in a western?
A Isn’t every kid’s dream to make a cowboy western? I’m at a position now where I can do some fun things and I can take a few chances. The concept made sense and I enjoy riding horses. Rob has a great set of skills and he had the idea already and we sort of tied it all up into a music video and I just went with it
