Zarni

By Craig Ostroff
Managing Editor

Perhaps the best career advice Zarni de Wet ever received came from John Majhor, a radio broadcaster and promoter who discovered her at the tender age of 16.

“He gave me very, very valuable advice,” said the South Africa native, who moved to Binghamton, N.Y., at age 11 with her mother and stepfather. “He said, ‘You’re not always going to be 16 and awesome. Just remember that.’

“And it’s true. It’s much more impressive if a young kid can sit there and accompany herself than a 21-year-old. So I’ve actually found that I have had to work a little bit harder as I got older.”

It’s advice that’s served her well. No longer simply a curiosity as a piano-playing teenager, de Wet is now 21 years old, four semesters away from graduating from the Berklee College of Music with a double major in music education and songwriting. And while she’s up against the legion of other young singer-songwriters looking to make names for themselves, de Wet is proving to have the ability to stand out from the crowd with her warm, soaring vocals and bouncy piano-driven songs. Her first CD, “Friday Night Lights,” was released in January.

And as happy as de Wet is with the finished CD, she’s already looking ahead to the next step on her musical journey, with new songs she can’t wait to share.

“I am happy with [‘Friday Night Lights’]. I’m happy with the songs, they’re all real,” she said. “It’s really simple — it’s not a produced album at all. Going into it, I didn’t know as much about production as I do now, nor did I really realize the importance of it, so it’s a very bare album. It’s got a lot of content; it ranges from love songs to divorce songs … but I think it’s a very lyrical album more than anything.

“What I’m doing now is a little bit different than the style that’s on the CD. I’ve written about 10 new songs that I’m pretty happy with, and I’ve heard from people that it’s almost like a world’s difference. I figure it really takes a while for the [lessons taught at Berklee] to take effect; it takes a while for it to become like muscle memory. So I think I’ve really honed into a lot of the skills I’ve learned and they are showing a lot more on the newer songs than they were on the CD.”

And she’ll get a chance to show off her already impressive catalog of songs when de Wet makes her local debut at the MilkBoy Acoustic Café, 824 W. Lancaster Ave., Bryn Mawr, at 7:30 p.m. June 8, touring along with the Mike Lombardo Trio in what promises to be an evening of impressive piano-driven tunes.

“I started playing in bars when I was 16, and I liked the repertoire that I was able to do with the piano,” de Wet said. “I knew that a lot of popular songs by people like Billy Joel, Elton John — their really famous hits were piano-based.

“And just because of the nature of the piano I can kind of simulate a lot of instruments — the left hand provides like the base line, then whatever rhythm I’m playing is also the drums … so it gives you a good orchestrating tool to have the piano.”

She’s been honing her piano skills since the age of 6. Inspired by her songwriter mother and musicians as varied as the Piano Man, the Rocket Man, Norah Jones and Joni Mitchell, de Wet performed in numerous talent shows in South Africa as a youngster and began writing what she now looks back on as “a couple stupid little songs” at a young age. But even those songs set the stage for a future in music. In fact, de Wet said, part of the reason her family relocated to the United States was because of the opportunities it afforded to her musical career.

“My stepfather was transferred to Binghamton,” she said. “But part of the reason why they came was because they could see that I had a passion for music and thought, ‘What better place than America?’ for my opportunities here.”

And despite all the time she’s spent riding on airplanes across oceans, or in cars to the next gig, de Wet never grows tired of traveling. She still visits family in South Africa at least once a year, just recently visited Mexico and has backpacked through Europe.

And she has aspirations of booking and performing an extended tour of shows across the U.S.

“I am addicted to traveling,” de Wet said with a laugh. “I love it. If I could do that for a living, I would. I’m a very emotional, sentimental person, so I love different sights and sounds and smells. It’s not that I don’t like staying in one place, it’s just that I love going to different ones.

“And I’ve always loved performing. It feels very natural to me. There is nothing else I would rather do.” - Montgomery News

"Behind that fresh young face is an old soul guided by an emotional wisdom beyond her years.
At 20 years old, De Wet captures moments that sometimes elude songwriters twice her age - and all of them are inspired by her own experiences.
The ebb and flow of typical love affairs inform most of the album, from the wistfulness of "Time of My Life" and "Whatever the Weather" to the suspicion and mistrust of "Down and Dirty" and "You Only Wear Me On Your Sleeve." One particular highlight is "Spaceman," a soaring plea for a lover's attention that includes a tasty jam near the finish."- Chris Kocher Press and Sun Bulletin Jan 2010

"IT was awesome! She was brilliant and the crowd loved her. It was our first gig @ The Rustic Theatre for 2010 and we couldn't have started the year better.
Zarni has rare talent and her interpretation of music is stunningly soulful. She has such stage presence and very comfy on the keyboard. She just oozed class throughout her show and the crowd fell
in love with her on the first key. I reckon selling her CD is the easiest of jobs as seen on the night. We as Rustic Theatre are proud to have hosted her successful and flawless CD launch and we are hoping to get her back to play here! Rustic Theatre says thank you Zarni. May "Friday Night Lights" enjoy more success and good luck" Rustic Theatre, South Africa - Zarni

"Behind that fresh young face is an old soul guided by an emotional wisdom beyond her years.
At 20 years old, De Wet captures moments that sometimes elude songwriters twice her age - and all of them are inspired by her own experiences.
The ebb and flow of typical love affairs inform most of the album, from the wistfulness of "Time of My Life" and "Whatever the Weather" to the suspicion and mistrust of "Down and Dirty" and "You Only Wear Me On Your Sleeve." One particular highlight is "Spaceman," a soaring plea for a lover's attention that includes a tasty jam near the finish."- Chris Kocher Press and Sun Bulletin Jan 2010

"IT was awesome! She was brilliant and the crowd loved her. It was our first gig @ The Rustic Theatre for 2010 and we couldn't have started the year better.
Zarni has rare talent and her interpretation of music is stunningly soulful. She has such stage presence and very comfy on the keyboard. She just oozed class throughout her show and the crowd fell
in love with her on the first key. I reckon selling her CD is the easiest of jobs as seen on the night. We as Rustic Theatre are proud to have hosted her successful and flawless CD launch and we are hoping to get her back to play here! Rustic Theatre says thank you Zarni. May "Friday Night Lights" enjoy more success and good luck" Rustic Theatre, South Africa - Zarni