#MusicExchange: SA-born singer-songwriter Cara Frew releases new single
26 Jan 2021
Meet powerhouse Cara Frew, a South African-born singer-songwriter whose music is wrapped in pop vocals and an earthy feel, with organic elements that are driven by acoustic guitar and African drums.
Frew has a new single out entitled Waiting for Love (beatsbyhand Remix). Frew’s debut album, Flame, with her hit single, Free, saw her nominated for a Sama. And her collaboration with American DJ SNBRN, “You Got Me”, reached over 10 million plays on Spotify and Soundcloud.
Frew studied at Berklee College of Music and her first single, Falling, released five years ago was produced by The Kiffness.
Frew has also competed at the highest level in the equestrian sport at the World Equestrian Games three times, the first time as a vaulter, and twice as a showjumper.
We chatted last week.
The new decade means:
A new opportunity to set goals, work hard at achieving them, connect with interesting people, travel, love deeply, live passionately and make memories that last a lifetime.
Fame is about:
Being recognised for incredible talent!
Retirement will happen when:
I keep setting new goals so that may never happen.
My music is about:
My life’s journey, the things I have experienced, the people I have met, the dreams I have and the memories that I have made.
I would love to co-write with:
Shekhinah, Tresor, Ed Sheeran
What is the most enjoyable aspect of your work?
Meeting the most incredible people from around the world, and performing in very special places that I might never have gotten the chance to travel to if not for my music.
The song you must do in every show:
“Free” brings back such good memories, summer love and life before Covid.
Any funny moments on stage:
I nearly fell flat on my face on stage at the Coachella Music Festival in California; I think I was just so excited I didn’t watch my step.
My style icon:
Sarah Jessica Parker in Sex and the City.
Which living person do you admire most and why?
I cannot choose my mum without my dad, so definitely both of my parents. They have encouraged me to live with passion and pour every inch of who I am into every single thing that I do, whether that be my music, show jumping or studying for my psych degree. They have also taught me the valuable lesson of connecting meaningfully and making every single person I meet feel deeply special and appreciated no matter who they are or where they come from.
What is your most treasured possession?
My horse.
It’s your round, what are you drinking?
Gin and tonic with cucumber.
What makes you stand out?
I think it is the fact that passion, dedication and fearlessness are the threads that tie my multifaceted life together.
If you were not a musician, what would you do?
Professional show jumper and psychologist.
Pick five words to describe yourself?
Adventurous, passionate, positive, curious and hard-working.
Five favourite SA albums of all time:
Black Coffee - Pieces of Me
Cara Frew - Flame (My debut album!)
Coleske - Coleske (Brings back such good memories especially hearing “Take Me Where the Sun is Shining”.)
Tresor - Nostalgia (I am in love with “Sondela”!)
Shekhinah - Rose Gold (I get lost in it all, her voice is wow!)
What song changed your life?
Collaborating with Black Coffee on his single “I'll Find You”.
Favourite fashion garment:
Black lace bodysuit that my mum used to wear.
Give us some real proper slang and what it means:
“Agh shame man” in the most versatile situations, whether it be endearing or empathetic in sentiment and I have found that this is often very confusing for non-South Africans!
Top of your bucket list:
Competing at the Olympics as a showjumper and winning a Grammy award.
Your greatest achievements:
Showjumping for South Africa at the World Equestrian Games three times, being signed to Sony Music Ent. Worldwide, being nominated for a Sama for my single “Free” and performing at Coachella Music Festival in the Saharan tent with a crowd capacity of 15,000 people.
What do you complain about most often?
Not having enough time.
Happiness is:
When I’m making music, performing, being creative, horse riding, travelling, spending time with my family, listening to Jozi thunderstorms and watching sunsets and going for game drives on the farm.
On stage, I tend to:
Get so lost in my music that I often cannot remember exactly what I do and so I have to watch the videos that people take to experience it again.
Where would you like to be right now?
Where I am, with my family in Joburg.
Do you do charity work and, if you do, what do you do?
Yes, I am an ambassador for Women and Men Against Child Abuse, and I also launched my own initiative, Music Heals, in 2014 that uses song and dance with the aim of equipping young women and children with the skills to make the most of their lives and guard themselves against sexual abuse.
Wishes and dreams:
To be happy, maintain meaningful relationships with my family, achieve my singing goals (winning a Grammy) and my showjumping goals (competing at the Olympic) and get my doctorate in psych.
Social media:
