Elvis Blue is still rocking after Idols SA

Elvis Blue’s post-Idols career is testament that the competition can produce talented singers whose longevity is on par with established musicians who have been in the business for decades.

On December 2, Blue will share the stage with the likes of Lira, Loyiso Bala, Ross Learmonth and the Soweto Gospel Choir during the Jacaranda FM’s Carols by Candlelight. Blue released his fourth album – and his second in Afrikaans – Erens In Die Middel Van Nerens a few months ago and is involved with the last of the Afrikaans is Groot concert series.

He confesses that as the year winds down, he is at his busiest. “It’s always busier now, quiet in January, and then the rest of the year I’m touring,” he says. “But I’ve spent so much of my life wishing I could be busy and travel, I’m not complaining.”

Blue started writing Erens In Die Middel Van Nerens about a year-and-a-half ago and a lot of the album’s inspiration stems from the fact that people regularly feel like they’re in the middle of nowhere.

“We actually had a camper van we drove up from Cape Town during a tour and a lot of the songs were written while we were in the middle of nowhere,” he adds. The album also celebrates the fact that the musician, who turns 36 next month, has been making his own music for 14 years and his material is sincere.

Blue is planning his next album and in January will be in New York, where he will start working on an English album. “You write all the time, but I’m focusing on the album,” he says. Blue expects to release it next year. The singer will have a break with his family in December, but only after he finishes the two carols events.

He “feels blessed” to be part of Jacaranda FM’s Carols by Candlelight, not only because he has the opportunity to sing, but because it’s an event that ushers in the festive season and asks South Africans to give back.

The back-to-back events at SuperSport Park in Centurion on December 1 and the Bidvest Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg the following day offers a free night of entertainment. But those who attend are asked to bring a new toy with them.

The toys will be distributed before Christmas to children by three organisations – Child Welfare Tshwane, Heartbeat and Hanna Charity. Last year, more than 25 000 toys were collected. “Carols are great and, really, any event that makes a difference to a community is special,” says Blue.

“It’s also a family event and my own girls love it.”

The following artists are performing at the Carols by Candlelight events:

Centurion:

• Dewald Wasserfall.
• Loyiso Bala.
• Elvis Blue.
• Charlize Berg.
• Bok van Blerk.
• Soweto Gospel Choir.

Johannesburg:

• Lira.
• Elvis Blue.
• Loyiso Bala.
• Ross Learmonth.
• Matthew Mole.
• Blackbyrd.
• Soweto Gospel Choir.