1. How long have you been composing?
Composing of songs has been my life time practise given my passion in this line of business. We compose and rearrange others to give them a good flair and taste.
2. What is your creative process? How do you start creating a beat? / How do you start writing lyrics to a beat?
Given the talent within the group, we use our imagination and music experience to put a song together. Some of us have a natural music talent. It is amazing that our expertise allow us to surpass notes and the normal process of composing a song. You get the first part of the song and start working on putting the rest of the song together. This then is followed by synchronizing all the other five voices to build a good tune. This then is followed by writing the actual lyrics to create a complete song.
3. What made you chose a career in this field?
Well, given that we come from different musical groups carrying a lot of passion for this field of business, coming together was a realization of a much bigger dream that of exposing the gospel of Jesus Christ through song. Our love, interest and passion for music helped to bring us together to constitute an ensemble called the Christ Ambassadors. This is evidenced by the three decades of togetherness in this business.
4. Did you do any courses for your career field?
We did not necessarily go to a formal institution for our music knowledge. We are borne with this talent and coupled with our passion to express views and the Gospel through song. We however spent a lot of time researching this music as well as listening to other similar groups in order to have a better understanding and appreciation for this music. Some members of the group are academics in the field of Theology and this add value in the correct interpretation of the message we are conveying to the public. Yes we do have a structured approach to the composition as well as presentation of our music.
5. What advice can you give to aspiring composers?
Our advice is that you must have a strong sense of imagination and passion for music. It is also important to study other musical works within your genre and have a broad appreciation and understanding of all the structural requirements as well as the discipline that goes with compositions. Fundamentally it is crucial to go and study music at an academic level for a much stronger foundation and structure. When choosing a recording company to record your music, you need to ensure that the company understands the supply chain of music trade, we are lucky that Black Eagle Records, is one such company that is led by a team of people who understand the trade beyond glamour and fame.
6. What other composer’s or artists have you worked with?
We have worked with other gospel acappela groups collaborating on particular songs for purposes of presentations and renditions. The uniquickness of our style and approach has also restricted us to build our own style and method of presenting our songs. Thus three decades of our togetherness.
7. What has been the highlight of your career?
Our highlight is to finally record our first CD after thirty years of togetherness. We were lucky to meet Black Eagle Media Group (Pty) Ltd, which owns Black Eagle Records and found synergy in our vision at the right time. Our current and future dreams were better accommodated within the Black Eagle Media Group. So we are excited that we have agreed on a long-term relationship which will help both organizations realise dreams from all parties.