Let Bekker’s guitar serenade you

Imagine picking up the guitar at the age 12 and knowing that from that day on all you ever wanted to do with your life was play it.

For local singer/songwriter, Werner Bekker, this was the case and even though it might have seemed like a far-fetched dream to those around him, he stood firm to his ambitions. So much so that fast-forward to years later, this dream would have him open for the international band, A-Ha, a Norwegian band famous for their new wave pop sound. A-Ha and Werner plan to serenade crows at Marks Park when they perform on 15 February. This will be the first time he opens for an international band.

Werner has released his newest single, Withdrawal, a song that speaks about the task of giving up your vices and taking it out on those closest to you.

He grew up with music and various forms of art around him. His father was a musician and while he and his sister were growing up, they would travel the country to Afrikaans festivals that their father would perform at and watch with much enthusiasm as he entertained the crowds. It was during this time that he and his sister followed a homeschooling syllabus. From the time he was young he never dreamed of doing anything outside of the industry. “I always knew this was what I was going to do, I was always going to become a singer/songwriter.” When he was in his late teens, he played at small pubs with his dad and that was when the performing bug bit him.

The Randpark resident noted that some of his biggest achievements to date were performing at music festivals like Oppikoppi, Splashy Fen and Lush. For him, these are some of the country’s major festivals and to have performed at all three them was a huge milestone. Werner has also opened for Jeremy Loops.

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Werner plays the guitar and piano but much prefers the guitar. He had played the piano from about seven-years-old, then fell in love with the guitar at age 12 when he saw his sister playing it. “When I started playing, something about it grabbed me and I couldn’t stop playing.” He now mostly plays the acoustic guitar but is well versed in all types of guitars.

He is a self-proclaimed ‘folkie singer’ who has an acoustic sound which adds to his lyrically driven songs. “It is a niche, sit down outside type-of-vibe music,” he shared. Werner has been inspired by a slew of great artists such as Damien Rice and Ben Howard, who he highlights as two of his favourites artists while growing up. Through the study of music he was introduced to a wider variety of sounds and through that fell in love with artists like Billie Eilish. “Now I listen to everything from rap to folk, rock and pop.”

For him, music is an extension of his happiness. “I never want to be forced into a specific genre, as a musician your style will probably change over time and this is something I look forward to as music always develops around us,” said Werner. His music has evolved, his previous EP was much more folk/acoustic and his current one is moving towards an electronic sound.

Passionate about his craft he has taken to teaching others how to play the guitar. “It is important though that people listen to a wide variety of music and figure out what sounds the nicest to them and play that instrument,” he said. He has loved teaching and feels that often parents think there is only one thing to do in a given field, “There so many fields you can go into with a music degree and it does not always have to be about performance.”

Werner hoped his music would serve as an inspiration to follow your dreams and to never give up on your innate passions in life.