Mohalenyane Phakela
RENOWNED for their melodic and harmonious voices, A cappella Moment will host a not-to-be-missed show at Sefika Hall on June 1.
The eight-men group was formed in 2009 and performs without the accompaniment of instruments, except their own voices. The group draws inspiration from the way church hymns are sung without any instruments.
“We are evangelicals, so we were strongly motivated by the way in which hymns are sung in church and we decided to adapt that style and add our own vibrant twist,” A cappella Moment told Xpress People on Friday.
“When it comes to A cappella, it is easier to tell when people love our music as it is simply made up of vocals rather than instruments whereby one is not sure if fans love the beats or vocals.”
The group’s performances attest to the virtues of the A cappella genre and the palpable connection between the musicians and their listeners. A cappella Moment has shared the stage with Kingdom Classics and performed at a number of weddings, which has helped to broaden their fan base.
Made up of Retselisitsoe Mosaase, Bokang Monyamane, Masapo Mpiti, Lisema Mapetla, Bochabela Eric Mohlehle Letsie, Thabisang Mofammere, Thulane Babeli, the group also features Septee Nts’onyane and David Motebang, albeit on a part time basis.
“We are actually seven in this group, but we feature the eighth member whenever we are to perform so we normally choose between the aforementioned, Septee and David.”
Their show dubbed, A Feast of A cappella, which kicks off at 1pm, will be a unique event.
Besides being the main act, A cappella Moment will also be backing vocalists for all artists to feature in the show and they will be no musical instruments.
“We have featured acts like Poetry Farm and Sadon and these are not A cappella artists,” said A cappella Moment.
“Sadon is a rapper, but this time we will be doing our A cappella as he raps, same applies to the poets.
“We will also have other A cappella groups such as Sixth Seal and Endorsement. Because of the offers from other groups, who want to be part of the show, we are compelled to also have an open-mic session since we had already finalised the line-up.”
“Our goal,” the group added, “is to see A cappella being appreciated as a genre in this country like others that are growing and by people regardless of their age or social class.”
“We would also like to be involved with charity organisations and grooming the kids to appreciate this genre.