Showtime Management today announced that British singer-songwriter and guitarist James Morrison will perform in South Africa for the first time, early next year.
“I’m super excited to be heading to South Africa for a few shows next year! It’ll be my first time playing there and my first gigs in a little while, can’t wait to play in Johannesburg and then with the mountains as the backdrop in Cape Town’s Botanical Garden” says James Morrison.
When James Morrison broke onto the scene as a soulful singer-songwriter in 2006 even he couldn’t have predicted that he would become the template that allowed a wave of like-minded musicians to enter the field. Now, almost ten years on, Sam Smith, Ed Sheeran, George Ezra and James Bay are all crowding the charts, following the same format; one guy with a great, soulful voice and a guitar. They’ve all cited him as an influence but does Morrison take some credit for paving the way? “I don’t really see it like that, I was just lucky to be one of the first” says Morrison.
Despite his self-deprecation and humble nature, he really was the first to take that format and not only make it work but also became an overnight success story. Pop gems like ‘You Give Me Something’ from his first record ‘Undiscovered’, made him anything but and he won the 2007 BRIT Award for Best Male when he was just 21 years old. He was also told by the veteran soul producer Jerry Wexler that his raspy, gravelly voice, the product of a childhood illness, had its “own thumbprint” and was so distinctive that “once heard, never forgotten”.
2008’s ‘Songs for You, Truths for Me’ brought with it a string of Top Ten singles, including the phenomenally catchy ‘Broken Strings’ with Nelly Furtado, with his last album, 2011’s ‘Awakening’ shooting straight to number one, selling over one million copies worldwide.
Award-winning Morrison’s colourful career includes singing “You Give Me Something” at the 2006 Royal Variety Performance before Prince Charles and The Duchess of Cornwall. He appeared on Live from Abbey Road following his live recording session at Abbey Road Studios and he also appeared on USA television as a guest as well as performing “You Give Me Something” on NBC’s Today Show.
At the Concert for Diana in 2007, Morrison performed the songs “Wonderful World” and “You Give Me Something” in honour of Princess Diana. Morrison has collaborated with Jason Mraz (who performed on the same stage at Montecasino’s Teatro in 2015) on the track “Details in the Fabric” on Mraz’s studio album, We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. Morrison worked on Demi Lovato‘s third album Unbroken, released in 2011.
The 34-year-old singer-songwriter has now sold 4.5 million copies of his three albums, performed four world tours including sold-out shows to thousands at London’s Hyde Park, supporting both Bruce Springsteen and Stevie Wonder and appeared on Herbie Hancock’s Grammy-winning album ‘The Imagination Project’.
This year Morrison has made a brand-new album that is his most honest and powerful set of songs yet. To be released next year, the album explores his relationship, being a father and his family, as well as his experiences with dark times and light. Recorded at British Grove and Metrophonic Studios and produced by Mark Taylor (Lady Gaga, Nelly Furtado, Kylie Minogue), the album sees the return of James Morrison to his soulful best. Enjoy the start to 2019 with James Morrison.
Date: Saturday, 26 January 2019
Venue: Kirstenbosch Gardens
Tickets: R650 available for Webtickets.co.za