Yazeed Kamaldien
Backstage may have started out as a modern version of that Eighties show Fame, but today it dishes up the daily dramas of a handful of arty types in doing so painting a portrait of young South Africa.
In two years the show has gained almost a million viewers, all glued to their sets at 6.30pm, immersed in young lives beleaguered by drug addiction, gambling, fighting, jealousy, ambition and heartache.
Thankfully, while the characters in Backstage confront life, the whole is devoid of slick Americanisations. Its characters don’t all want to end up in Hollywood and the focus is centred on producing and showcasing South African talent.
Over the years the programme has managed to engage its audience by including well-known musicians such as kwaito’s M’du, hip-hop’s Black Noise and jazz guitarist Jimmy Dludlu. On Human Rights Day former exiled pianist Abdullah Ibrahim will be the next big name to share his magic with the youth.
The groundwork for this musical intervention has been undertaken by Backstage scriptwriter, journalist and former Mail & Guardian arts editor Charl Blignaut. It’s an endeavour that includes orchestrating artists and record-label heads and hanging out at nightclubs and music launches.
“We look for people who are blowing up. It’s a very conscious thing and we know we are putting our balls on the line by making these predictions. From radio DJs to the kwaito kids, we bring them on the show. It’s tapping into our own star system,” says Blignaut.
“The audience, mostly young girls, wants to see the artists interact, and it’s been working well because many of the artists want to be actors. We also get demos daily and phone calls all the time. Everybody’s aware this is a way to make a name.”
For a while Loyiso, an R&B artist who has a CD out and who features on a Backstage compilation CD with Dludlu and house-music maestros Brothers of Peace, was on the show. So was former Boom Shaka star Lebo.
Ibrahim’s appearance on Human Rights Day speaks historical volumes and the artist sees it as a means of bringing his music full circle.
“Apartheid effectively destroyed the whole continuity. Many of our young musicians lived in exile. Our national psyche was shattered. I watch Backstage religiously and this is a way for me to reconnect that severed continuity, to fulfill the circle,” says Ibrahim.
By giving back music to especially the young audience, Ibrahim believes he is passing on its beauty. And this is also his aim at his Cape Town-based academy, M7, which focuses on music, martial arts, medication, meditation and movement as a holistic approach to living creatively and being successful.
Dludlu, who has become somewhat of a chameleon by collaborating with a variety of musicians, adds that the Backstage experience was an opportunity for him to expose the kids to a different kind of music.
“It’s good for South African culture. It’s also been helpful for many young stars. We can sit and focus on ourselves as musicians, but by sharing we can learn more. And music has brought us together,” he says of the experience.
Interestingly, apart from the diverse music, the show’s actors also speak the country’s official languages. And Backstage is set to include tie-ins with various major events in the country. The local fashion industry is also being targeted to use the show as a platform, in a bid to make it 100% South African, says Blignaut.
One of the show’s singing stars, Kaybee Motsilanyane, plays herself and is recording a CD. Blignaut confirms that Backstage is “going to blow this chick up as a musician and a soap star”.
“This shows that you don’t have to go overseas if you have talent. It’s been interesting creating these worlds, the nightclubs and the radio station. It shows young people that they can be powerful,” says Blignaut.
“We do have a mission and it’s a love. It’s about quality. The artists we get on the show are world leaders on their own.”