Dewald Wasserfall

Known for his soaring pop-driven rock songs, Dewald Wasserfall is a South African singer/songwriter who rose to mainstream success as a solo artist when his 2012 debut album, Vergeet Wat Jy Weet van Liefde, went multi-platinum, yielding major hits like the title track and "Sewentien." His national success continued throughout the decade and in 2018 he became a mentor on the reality music competition Die Kontrak, for which he also wrote the theme song. Wasserfall also took part in the high-profile 2019 concert, Afrikaans Is Groot. Born in the KwaZulu-Natal town of Empangeni on South Africa's eastern side, Wasserfall wrote his first song at the age of 12 and later earned an entertainment technology diploma from Pretoria Technikon. In 2006, he formed the rock duo Wasserfall, releasing two albums and scoring a couple of minor hits before disbanding in 2011. Dewald launched a subsequent solo career the following year and quickly achieved widespread success with his debut album. Pairing gritty rock vocals with slick contemporary pop, he became a popular and dynamic live act and won a SAMA Award for his 2014 follow-up album, #EkenJy. After his third album, 2016's Jy Is Die Storm, Wasserfall transitioned to television, writing the theme song for the reality competition Die Kontrak and mentoring singers Ivan Roux and Deidré Barnard on its 2018 season. He returned a year later with his fourth solo album, Elektrisiteit, and appeared in the Afrikaans Is Groot concert and on its soundtrack. ~ Timothy Monger