Nothing but Sonny Skies in Ballito

You would be forgiven for thinking you were listening to Freshlyground.

Ballito’s latest musical duo, Sonny Skies, play upbeat R&B melodies with a jazzy feel, and take inspiration from artists like Freshlyground, Majozi, Lira and Sho Madjozi.

“The sound is upbeat, but the messages can be quite deep. Somehow it flows together,” said Sandile Ndokweni, one half of the duo.

He is also the group’s namesake – his nickname is “Sonny”.

For years he envisioned himself being part of a musical group, but it was only when he met Sibonokuhle (Sibo) Mensah that his vision became reality.

The two met quite by chance at Ballito Lifestyle Centre in March this year.

Sibo, originally from Johannesburg, was on holiday in Ballito with her family.

The two started talking, exchanged numbers, and three months later, Sandile visited her in Jo’burg.

“I had been sharing that I play music, but at first she did not tell me that she sings,” said Sandile, who is studying marketing.

“Finally one day she said ‘let me sing you something’. I was starstruck. I said ‘we are going to start a group, and we are going to make amazing music’.”

And that’s what they did. Sibo, a UCT graduate in theatre and performance, moved to Ballito, where they are already breaking into the music scene at an impressive speed.

Their first gig was at The Market’s Open Mic night in July. It went well and landed them a gig at an Action in Autism fundraiser in August, which inspired a heartfelt track called “Believe”.

They have also performed at The Shed as a collective, with three other musicians – Reece Berkeley on drums, Jordy van Zyl on electric guitar and Shales Berkeley on bass.

Another accomplishment was being asked to open for Shortstraw at The Litchi Orchard recently.

Sibo and Sandile have plans to put out an EP later this year. It will be a five track EP with four main tracks and one bonus track.

“The bonus track is called Rhythm of the Beat and it’s the single for the entire EP,” said Sibo.

“It’s house music with a soulful feel, something people can dance to.”

They will be performing at The Market on Heritage Day, having landed themselves a two hour slot.

“We will be performing originals and covers,” said Sibo. “It is going to be a vibe!”

Part of their appeal is that they are 100 percent authentic.

“We are sticking true to where we come from – our culture, ethnicity, religion,” said Sibo.

“Our target market is all South Africans.”

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