The first time we were introduced to Bo, band member of pop group Denim, was back in the 90’s as a young lad in Leon Schuster’s block-buster movie There’s a Zulu on My Stoep. He then disappeared from the lime-light for a while and has since come back as a new and improved artist with the backing of his band, Denim.

Though still with the group, Bo has often played around with the idea of launching his own solo career but couldn’t seem to find the right moment or single. But with the release of his latest song, Rise (together people) we’re confident enough to say that Bo is ready to Rise to the occasion and offer us his very best.

ZAlebs spoke to the man to hear more about this new song:

You dabbled in movies as a youngster, are you still considering pursuing a career in acting or it was just a once off thing for you?

I really think it was something that I enjoyed as a youngster but then I just thought it was just too much work. Music came more naturally to me than acting.  Acting was a phase that I went through that was enjoyable, but music is where my heart lies.

When did you realise that music was your main focus?

The music bug bit me when I was in high school. I had already begun singing, I began singing at the age of 11, way before high school. I was also in a few community choirs around my neighbourhood so it was a passion that was always there it really only began growing on me in high school. 

I remember when I was in grade 3 a certain teacher invited me to sing in front of the entire assembly. The teacher took a table and made me stand on top of the table and sing. Now you can imagine how nerve wrecking that was for me. But I got over the nerves and sang my heart out and thinking about it now it was probably one of my favourite performances and it also made me realise that this music thing actually isn’t a bad thing to pursue.

Take us through your new single Rise. Did you write the song yourself, or was it a co-written venture and who produced the track?

Rise was a very exciting project to work on because it was initially written four years ago with my keyboard player who actually produced the whole of DJ Ganyani’s album. So I co-wrote that song with my producer and interestingly enough we only decided to release Rise three months ago because I really found it relevant to what is currently happening in the country.  

Rise is a great feel-good song that has a nation-building aspect to it and it’s just a positive, well-rounded song for everyone to vibe to. I always promised myself that I would never go solo unless there is a message that I wanted to convey with a song and I think Rise encapsulates exactly what is on my mind right now.

Is there a video in the pipe-lines and can you give us a hint of what the concept of the video is going to look like?

We’re currently rehearsing for the video at the moment with twenty five dancers from different backgrounds. We went this route because I wanted the video to represent a true reflection of South Africans in a positive light. We’re going to be shooting the video at the end of August, I really believe that it’s going to be one of the best videos I’ve ever been a part of.

Which choreographers will you be working with for the video?

I’ll be working with Litchi from Vintage Cru who will be choreographing the entire video. I’m also working alongside Thembi Seete who will be choreographing the female dance sequences of the video.