Seth Cort Talks to Fanbase Music Magazine, About His Career and New Single
Intro
Seth Cort is a young upcoming Singer-Songwriter from Cape Town in South Africa, playing a fusion of Acoustic Folk and Pop. His focus is on the acoustic guitar, but Seth also plays the ukulele, harmonica, piano, and drums.
Influences
Seth’s biggest songwriting and musical influences are The Lumineers, Jeremy Loops, Mathew Mole, Mumford and Sons, Vance Joy, and Sons of the East. Their diverse genres and performing styles moulded Seth into the artist he is today. Ultimately, it was The Lumineers that sparked Seth’s music career into action. From the age of 10 he listened to the first Lumineers album on repeat, and so his love for Folk music was born. Seth sung in the choir for the whole of his school career, and from hearing himself singing in the choir, decided to take music seriously and begin to follow a music career.
Accolades & Career Highlights
In 2021 Seth was the overall talent winner at the Cape Town Auditions for The International Arts Showcase and was invited to perform at The International Arts Showcase. Shortly hereafter Seth was invited to perform at the IMTA Talent Convention in New York. Seth was also a finalist at the Bakgat Country Competition, where he performed at The Grand West Casino in Cape Town. In school Set was the top music learner and appeared on his school’s roll of honour for his music achievements and attributes. In 2021 he was the top student in school and at Liana Marx Vocal Academy (which has produced artists such like Tasché Burger, Demi Lee Moore, Shaun Tait, Margot Rothman and more. In 2022 Seth was the opening artist for the Simondium Music Festival for artists inclusive of Appel, Nadia Louw, and Desmond Wells. Seth collaborated on songwriting with Gavin Edwards, as well as performed with him at Die Boer.
Debut Single ‘Hold On’ Releasing Friday 21 April
Seth shares that ‘Hold On’ is about “reminiscing over the good times of a broken relationship, whilst trying to hold on as long as possible to fix it. The inspiration came from a tough breakup I went through. I write this at midnight, just after the relationship broke off. I still cannot believe how far it has come, from a song I wrote half-asleep, to a fully recorded single produced by the legend Mark Haze. The song matured over time and changed dramatically during recording and production.”
Mark Haze shares that “Seth approached me early 2022 whilst still in school. He wrote several original songs and was looking for a studio and producer to help craft his own style and sound. This can be tricky when you are a new artist and nobody (including you) really knows what you actually sound like in terms of style and music. Seth was very mature and had great knowledge of his influences, and was very sure of how he wanted his songs to flow. He was very open to many of my ideas and I was the same with his. Each idea from one side fuelled the other with more exciting options. With ‘Hold On’, adding the Gospel-style choir was one of my favourite experiments. I remember Seth’s face when he heard it for the first time – it was one those moments I really live for as a producer. He has a bright future ahead of him and I am honoured to be part of the team that can tell the story of where it all began.”
Questions
Hi Seth, Welcome To Fanbase Music Magazine, Can we start off by telling us where you are from?
I’m from Cape Town, South Africa born and raised.
What got you into music?
In primary school, I was a very involved in the school choir and it was then that I realised how much I enjoyed singing. In my final year of primary school, I was inspired by my favourite band, The Lumineers to play guitar and so I started taking guitar lessons to improve my musical skills and as the years passed into high school my love for song writing followed.
How would you describe your sound and genre?
I would describe my sound & genre as: very acoustically orientated Folk-pop.
Who are some of your musical influences?
Some of my biggest musical influences would be The Lumineers, Jeremy Loops, Matthew Mole, Mumford and Sons, Vance Joy, Sons of The East and Sam Fender.
Let’s talk about your new single ‘Hold On’, what is the song about?
Hold On’ is about reminiscing over the good times of a broken relationship and trying to hold on as long as possible to fix it. The inspiration for my single came from a tough breakup that I went through. The song was written at about midnight just after the relationship had been broken off.
The track features the legendary Mark Haze, what was his involvement on the track, and what was the recording process like?
Mark was my producer on the track. Mark recorded most of the percussive work, keys and the notable choir that you can hear on the song. This “choir” is actually multiple recordings of Mark’s voice used to create the effect of a choir. I recorded the main vocals & a few backing vocals as well as the guitar tracks. We recorded the song over a relatively large time period, because I was very preoccupied with matric exams. Fortunately, this gave us plenty of time to listen and perfect the song.
Where was the track recorded?
The track was recorded at Havoc Studios, South Africa.
When is the track expected to be released?
My single is expected to release on the 21st of April.
When you write music do you come up with the lyrics or the music first?
Normally I come up with the music first, but many times it all just flows out at the same time.
I will simply just start playing my guitar and I’d start singing as the emotions and lyrics come to me.
Can you tell us what it is like to see you play live, is it a lively or intimate show?
My live shows are a fair mix between lively and intimate as I play a multitude of upbeat and slower songs. My performances are very acoustically based, and I often perform with a drummer to bring that extra spice and energy to my shows.
Can you give us your social media links?
Debut single ‘Hold On’ produced by Mark Haze available Friday 21 April HERE
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
YouTube
Thank you for doing this interview, do you have any last messages for our readers?
The release of my single has been a very exciting but overwhelming experience and so, for me only being 18 years old this is a huge step in my life. But recently I’ve adopted a motto that has helped me to stay confident and focused through these eventful times.
“If your dreams don’t scare you, they aren’t big enough”
Social Media
Debut single ‘Hold On’ produced by Mark Haze available Friday 21 April HERE