Vengaboys back in South Africa

The Vengaboys are definitely no newbies to the international music scene and who can forget the thumping beats of songs like Boom Boom Boom and We Like To Party.

The group started out in 1998 and their albums sold like hot cakes. Their debut album “Greatest Hits!” reached USA gold status and they were nominated for MTV Best Breakthrough of the Year award.

To promote the single ‘Kiss (When The Sun Don’t Shine)’ the group organised a world record longest kiss that currently stands at 29 hours. The Vengaboys received the TMF Award for Best Dance Act and receive a price for being Hollands’ most successful export product that year.

Now the group is heading to South African shores and by the look of things, fans are in for a treat.

We asked the ever popular Vengaboys some questions about the tour, how their music evolved as well as their favourite song.

The Vengaboys is a name recognised all over the world, and especially here in South Africa. What would you say makes the group so popular?
Maybe its our good looks or our deep lyrics that connect to the soul? No, just kidding. Somebody once said “Vengaboys are just so lovable”. And that’s how we feel as well. Off-stage and on-stage we always try to connect to the fans and to the people we work with. Just be awesome on-stage as well as off-stage. And that in combination with our “old” songs, which are for most a trip down memory lane.

Can you still remember your very first concert? Where was it, what was it like?
Our very first gig was on 12 October 1997 in a club called Klaes Pruim in Rhoden. A small city in the east of The Netherlands. It is so long ago we don’t remember any juicy details but this date we will never forget. Last year we celebrated our sweet 16. So we had a big party with our friends and the whole Vengaboys team.

What memory is forever etched in your memory?
There are a lot of memories. We’ve been to so many places, did so many awesome gigs. We have met awesome people along the way and shared the stage with Samantha Fox, NSYNC, Christina Aguilera, Ricky Martin, David Hasselhoff. Each brought a new memory.

If you have to pick the ultimate Vengaboys song, which one would it be?
That would definitely be “We Like To Party”… Just because we do!

You’ve been to South Africa back in 2000. What do you look forward to this time around?
We are looking forward to seeing our fans again. It is always super exciting to do concerts so far away from home. It has been a long time since we came to SA. So we are coming to see if SA still knows how to Party.

What can fans look forward to seeing on stage during your concert?
Expect a high energy audience participation sing-along show. A trip down memory lane and just a great fun party.

Can we expect any new music or music videos soon?
Yes, you can.

Would you say your music evolved through the years or are you still the same Vengaboys we remember?
As much as we would want to keep living in the 90’s, you just cannot escape the need to reinvent yourself. Music is evolving and so must we. But we will always stay true to ourselves and what Vengaboys stands for.

How did your music change?
The newer songs we produced are clearly different from the older stuff. They have an different “sound” to them but it is still a Vengaboys “sound”. But although this sound is different, it still connects to our old songs and the fans. And as long it is a “sound”, we all can party on. That’s fine by us.

Rekord is giving away three double tickets to see the Vengaboys at the Carnival City on 12 December. To enter, SMS the word ‘Venga’ and your name to 42282. SMSs cost R1,50 and free SMSs do not apply. The competition closes on 10 December at midnight. The winners will be notified by telephone.