Soulo

About Soulo

Unbounded: The Revelations of a Soulful Loner

They say the fire that burns brightest is forged in the depths of struggle. For me, that blaze was ignited in the soulful mineral themed streets of Eldorado Park's ghetto, where possibilities were limited for a bi-racial boy coming of age under the oppressive shadow of apartheid-era South Africa. From the scars of corporal punishment in school to exploitation in the underbelly of the record industry, from battles with drugs and alcohol to the hard-won peace and understanding that comes with transcendence - struggle has been the lens through which I've viewed the world.

But the soul has a way of finding expression, even when life tries to extinguish its flame. I am Soulo, a soulful loner who has woven life's eclectic threads into a tapestry of sound that transcends boundaries. At 43, my artistry is seasoned not just by the diverse influences that shaped it, but by an understanding - hard-won through unrelenting adversity - of music's power to heal, unite, and unleash the suppressed depths of human expression.

Don't mistake my humility for meekness. When I command a stage, baring the rawness of my soul through soaring vocals and honest lyricism, I dare you not to be moved, not to confront the realities that forged this truth. My unique songwriting style isn't just a catalyst for personal catharsis - it's an invitation to join me on a journey through the valleys of pain and peaks of transcendence that have sculpted this kid from Jozi's underbelly into the uncompromising artist I am today.

Upheaval was a constant; making friends seemed futile when you knew the next neighbourhood was just around the corner as my parents continued their struggle to keep a roof over me and my younger sister. So, I became a loner - self-reliant, guarded, pouring my hopes and fears into the solace of music.

But I'm no solitary force. My music is a culmination of the muses that 'coloured' my world - the crooning of jazz legends that echoed through my grandfather Danny’s whispers, the infectious grooves of golden-era rock & soul records that soundtracked my father's DJ sets, the gospel of my mother's impassioned vocals from countless touring stages. Steeped in this eclectic archive of aural lore, acquiring a vast musical knowledge from my lineage, and working in the country's largest record archive, I've masterfully interwoven these threads into a dominion of sound that dismantles every preconception you think you know about genre.

The albums to come - "MCMLXXIX (1979)," a vivid tapestry of tones and textures plucked from my expansive inspirational palette, and the celestial voyage "Venus," a mindscape where influences collide, and musical boundaries disintegrate - aren't mere collections of songs. They are the manifestations of a my unyielding commitment to unleash upon the world the full, unbridled spectrum of my artistic expression.

So, prepare yourself for an odyssey into the daring, the controversial, the genreless unknown - a realm where I, the solitary weaver, have torn asunder the limits that sought to constrain me. Join me in losing yourself amidst the intricate threads of eclectic revelation that have been woven into the very fabric of my life's work: A soulful renaissance borne from the ashes of a ghetto where possibilities seemed lost, from the untold agonies that could have broken me - until I unleashed them through the persistence of a soulful loner's sacred catharsis.

Love, s*