Auriol Hays was born and raised all over the Western Cape everywhere from Mitchells Plain to Eerste River.She grew listening to classical and jazz music in a family of musicians. As a child, she was very quiet hiding beneath what would later be revealed as an Extraordinarily talented shell. As a teenager, she spread her small vocal wings a little, albeit to an audience of one – herself! And despite coming from a musical family where mum played Piano and her brothers played guitar, Auriol kept her vocal talent and song writing very much disguised.
It would be four whole years of marriage before Auriol even admitted to her husband that she had singing talent. Her husband, Shane, stumbled upon her talent by chance when he found Auriol singing their newborn daughter to sleep
A chance meeting with songwriter / producer extraordinaire, Andre Scheepers, brought the collaboration into fruition. Auriol and Andre met each other by accident through a girl called Sue, on a cold winter’s night in a small farm house next to a poultry processing plant in Muldersdrift, Johannesburg.
Auriol needed a keyboard player. Andre needed a new talent to mould.
The result would be a top ten hit on 5fm’s Top Forty called Take It Slow.
Andre couldn’t fathom the ethereal voice that was emitted from this Capetonian fire. He then listened to some of her home-demos, all of which were recorded on cassette. Despite the antiquated recording, the songs and hook-lines were certainly evident.
The single, Take It Slow, quickly ended up on radio play lists across the country and the team was rapidly approached by Electro mode. Auriol was flown up to Johannesburg, twice in three days, to do a photo shoot, a music video shoot, two gigs, a live television performance in front of 9 million viewers and, of course, to sign a lucrative record deal.
Andre’s and Auriol’s differing writing styles and influences would seem conflicting in any other circumstances. But for some reason, it works!! |
