Pretoria North singer, songwriter and music producer Michael Naranjo is a nostalgic kind of guy.

This is proven by his song choice when making his solo comeback to the music scene after taking a break from band life and a time of healing after he was shot three times during a hijacking near Germiston.

Thousands of fans can easily hum this theme song from the very popular travel TV series, Going Nowhere Slowly, which aired for more than five seasons with several repeats.

Award-winning Naranjo wrote this TV anthem and is now reviving the song 20 years later.

The anniversary revisited release of the song will take place on April 26.

Naranjo used to be the lead singer of the South African band, One Day Remains. The band shot to fame in 2008 with their hits “Never Say Die” (the 2008 Vodacom Tri Nations Rugby Anthem) and “The Need” which stayed at number 1 on radio station 94.7FM for 12 weeks.

He has produced, performed at sessions as a guitar player and singer, and mixed music on 70 different studio albums worldwide. He is also the winner of five prestigious Afri-Indie Awards.

Launching a new version of the popular TV programme’s title song is a dream come true for the bulky intellectual musician who can write quite a few awards, like the Afri Indie Award for Best Songwriter 2021, behind his name.

His wish with his music has always been “to leave a mark in our culture, earth and heaven for seasons to come.”

ALSO READ: Faerie Glen star pops into the music industry with a self-composed song

The song from the hit TV show famous for its iconic red car that took to South Africa’s roads did exactly that.

Not that the humble guy with the gruff voice and slow laugh will tell you this. There is a humility to Naranjo that has much to do with how he started in the music industry, and with his roots.

With parents coming from South American countries, Argentina and Uruguay, first to the former Rhodesia and then to South Africa, Naranjo grew up speaking Spanish and learning Afrikaans and English in the small town of Malmesbury in the Swartland in the Western Cape.

He left South Africa in 2013 for a few years to tend to family matters in his parents’ countries of birth.

He also travelled and performed in South America, getting good reviews in both Argentina and Uruguay.

Before he could tackle a music career, the powerful singer had a few challenges. One of them was to do speech therapy to help him pronounce the lyrics of the songs he wrote and sang.

He mostly sings pop-rock songs with melodies and lyrics on contemporary social issues and the human soul.

Speaking of therapy, Naranjo is a big proponent of counselling as this was his saving grace after the hijacking incident.

He also believes in a good stint of meditation each day.

“We need to protect our peace,” said the singer, who has a lifetime of music with other musicians behind him.

His music career started in the Western Cape when he entered a music competition presented by Radio Pulpit at 17 years old.

He was chosen as runner-up to winner Rouchelle Liedemann. This led to him visiting Pretoria to record songs with foremost musicians, such as Mauritz Lotz.

Soon Naranjo was mentored by South African music industry legends like Danny Antill.

He recorded two solo albums, Belief and Turning Point.

He very easily gives respect where due and speaks in glowing terms of the influence of music legends like Denny Lalouette on his career.

To him, songwriting and live performance are all about realising the difference between being an artist and being an entertainer.

“As an entertainer, you need to lock in with the audience. As an artist, you often need to be alone when creating,” said Naranjo.

He feels music has changed much over the past two decades.

“But what has stayed the same is that music still covers a multitude of sins and joys,” said Naranjo.

– Click here to listen to: “Going Nowhere Slowly”

https://promo.theorchard.com/TSLvxX27WPtIwmmYsKIU

ALSO READ: Centurion singer to perform at Grand Opry in USA

Do you have more information about the story?

Please send us an email to bennittb@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.

For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites: Rekord East

For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram