GoodLuck is an exciting live electronic pop band from South Africa, and we’ve been able to engage with them in an interview. Music can be so powerful in connecting people, and inspiring people. I’ve been hearing their music quite a bit lately, and have absolutely fallen in love with them!
Meet GoodLuck
Goodluck is a trio of musicians featuring Juliet Harding on vocals – who has written songs both locally and internationally and known for her recognisable voice; Matthew O’Connell is on saxophone and keys; at the helm is the band’s producer and founder Ben Peters, whose repertoire includes 14 number one hits for various artists including Mathew Gold, DJ Ganyani and more.
GoodLuck is challenging audiences from around the world to take interest in a modern sound that is being hailed as truly African with the ability to cross over to an international electronic pop audience. They have been releasing music on labels like Ultra Music, Armada and Sony Music. Their music is a blend of electronica, pop and subtle influences of jazz.
The stats are definitely showing some positive signs for this band, with 6 Million Youtube Streams, 11 Million Spotify Streams and 335K Shazams Overall at time of writing.
Image: Juliet Harding Photo credit: paulotoureiro.com
Be Yourself
The GoodLuck trio released their new single ‘Be Yourself’ on their brand new independent record label dubbed Get Lucky Records™ and Sony Music Africa for their Southern African fans. The band are in talks with Bridges for Music to give back to the non-profit organisation with the hope to encourage Africa’s undiscovered talent to achieve global reach.
The band’s lead vocalist, Juliet Harding says about the single, “It’s an honest look into one’s self-worth and encourages everyone to be who they are and ignore the pressure to conform. There are so many people in the world and we’re all especially unique. We should not just fit in and have the courage to stop worrying about what everyone else thinks. It’s an uplifting track and pushes you to dance how you want to dance and ultimately be happy.”
The Interview
How did you guys meet, and what made you decide to form a band?
We met all the way back in 2008 when we formed a previous afro-pop band called JacSharp. After 2 years of performing in JacSharp, we started falling in love with electronic music so we formed a band which could combine our love for live performance and dance grooves… and take that sound to the night clubs. That was around 2010 when GoodLuck was born.
Do you have any moment or event which you feel was the initial spark to your current success?
Yes, the moment we heard our first single on radio… Radio has been a massive contributor to our success and we are super grateful that we have had the support we have had from the airwaves. We are on our 18th radio single in South Africa right now which is an incredible feeling!
You will be will be performing at Melkweg in Amsterdam in early August during Pride Weekend. What excites you the most about doing this performance?
Some of our biggest support has come from the LGBT community and we are very honoured that we get to perform at one of the biggest celebrations of Pride in the world! We really hope that we have a great turn out from the Pride community at our show on the day – there is a lot going on around the city but we are certain that our LGBT fans will come and party with us, we are most looking forward to that!
What was the main idea behind the video for “Be Yourself”?
We really just wanted to encourage people who struggle with their identity to truly dig deep, connect with themselves and then try to really be that person every day of their lives. As humans we seem to care so deeply what other people think of us and it is really futile. We should all celebrate our differences and stop judging one another, we are all just trying to do our best at this thing called ‘life’ so the best you can do is just Be Yourself!
What key message did you want to send out through the video?
The video echoes the message of the song, it is really just the band and a bunch of real people (not actors) jamming around the city being themselves in the most classic way and loving it! We want the message of freedom and liberty to shine through the video.
The video seems to highlight moments when people make a decision to just be themselves. Why do you think people struggle so much with being themselves?
I think social media plays a big part, especially Instagram. As useful as social media can be, it can also be quite destructive especially when it comes to comparing oneself with other people and the lives they are living. I think everyone feels a certain pressure to try and live a life like somebody else is having and in that process it is so easy to lose touch with who you really are… When we discover our inner being and try to be true to that person, that is when magic happens!
Songs with messages about ‘being yourself’ are very popular in the LGBT community because so many of us have to hide ourselves. What message would you like to give to people who are struggling with having to hide their sexuality?
Just try and be brave… Often the perceived outcome of how you think everyone is going to react when you come out and show them who you really are is FAR worse than what actually will happen. The world has a long way to go before it is totally liberated and free, but there is also a lot of love out there. There is no point in hiding, you have nothing to be ashamed of! Just be Yourself!
Where do you see GoodLuck in a few years’ time?
We see ourselves continuing to do what we love, making music, working to uplift and inspire other musicians, touring the world, having fun but most importantly… staying true to ourselves! We are working towards that by building a studio in Cape Town where we can create our own music and also utilise the space to uplift musicians and talent who need a bit of assistance. We are working on this with a great charity called Bridges for Music, so we have already started out with this journey. We wouldn’t mind a couple of Grammy’s under the belt too though, always setting our goals quite high!
#BeYourself
Get Social with GoodLuck
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/goodlucklive/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Goodluckli
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goodlucklive/
Website: http://goodlucklive.com/
Have you heard GoodLuck’s music yet? Leave your thought in the comments below…