GoodLuck was just what I needed on Friday the 13th.
Juliet Harding, singer and songwriter for the electronic pop band GoodLuck, obliged. A day ahead of the start of the band’s international tour, she met with me in Muizenberg to share a little of the band’s ethos – and their plans.
Unpretentious, focused, and in love with her life, Juliet is a living example of the message in the band’s latest single, Be Yourself.
The band has already achieved nine number one radio hits within four years, and their new single is headed the same way.
Last year, the band scooped up accolades at the South African Music Awards, and were named winners of the Best Pop Album.
So, being herself is paying great dividends for Juliet.
The band consists of Juliet, founder and producer Ben Peters and recent addition Matthew O’ Connell on saxophone and keyboard. They launched eight years ago, but were, initially, media-shy and wary of too much hype.
“We wanted to be able to deliver on the promises, and although we were keen, we didn’t feel our live shows or material were quite ready yet,” Juliet says over a pot of Earl Grey tea at Gaslight cafe.
They are more than ready now, with headline events in London and Amsterdam lined up for August and there is already international recognition of their latest single.
Even though they have been releasing music on labels like Ultra Music, Armada and Sony Music, the band have created their own, new independent record label: Get Lucky Records.
The single was produced with DJ and producer Boris Smith, of the Netherlands, and it’s a polished product.
Be Yourself is climbing charts around the world, from Mexico to Switzerland.
Juliet flashes a grin. “We have also just heard that the single has been selected as the official anthem for the 2018 Hockey World Champions League.”
Last week, the band announced the signing of the single worldwide to Armada Music, which will launch it further into a global audience.
Juliet’s excitement was palpable, talking about GoodLuck’s first headline shows. On Friday August 3 they will be on stage at The Garage in London, with support from South African talent, The Kiffness.
And on Saturday August 4, they will perform at Melkweg in Amsterdam – their show is coinciding with the city’s popular Gay Pride event. “It’s a particularly important message for the LGTB community so the timing could not be better,” she says.
GoodLuck’s world is live electronic pop. Their offering to their audience is rooted in experimentation with, and the experience of, sound. Juliet says their musical instruments are not typical to the industry – they use drum machines, synthesisers, electronic percussion, saxophone and vocals, creating a blend of electronica, pop and laced with the velvet notes of jazz.
Jazz is where Juliet sees herself in 10 years time, but that’s a possibility, and right now, Europe and the world are waiting to receive them. And there is work to be done.
The band, through Ben Peters, is building a recording studio in Capricorn, where they want to take new talent under their wing.
“We live in Marina da Gama so we wanted a studio close to home, and Marina and Muizenberg are where our creativity come alive. This is where it is all happening, so why have the studio anywhere else?”
Check out the band’s website at: http://goodlucklive.com/
