Cindy-Louise has today premiered her new video for the track titled ‘Outcasts‘, which drops this Friday (August 4th), with Erick Gerber, known as the founding member of South African Progressive Metalcore act Red Helen, as well as former guitarist & backing vocalist of international platinum-selling Pop/Rock artist Jesse Clegg.
Cindy-Louise is a juggernaut of an artist, to say the least. Her numbers on social media are completely off the chain, but, her vocals and style as well as the way she carries herself within a song, are what totally makes her a future legend. Add to that Erick’s stellar guitar work (seriously EVH/Vai level of originality) and you have a dynamic duo that, I hope, remains together.
This marriage of styles between giants really creates a song and video memorable for the ages. Everything else even close should be compared to this.
“Erick and I have known each other since childhood and I am always so inspired by his work and his band. We got to chatting one day and decided that doing a collaboration would be so much fun and off the bat we were on the same page. We wanted to write an anthem to all the outcasts of the world, anyone who feels they don’t belong and send a message of unity. The message and feeling of the song is quite intense and almost angry because we both feel so tired of conforming to society’s standards. The message is to praise those who stand out and dare to defy the suppressor. Let’s hear it for the outcasts! This song was an absolute blast to work on, Erick and I just knew what we wanted to say and what we wanted it to sound like. We drew a lot of inspiration from the bands Yonaka, Dead Poet Society and Sleep Token.
I wanted to experiment more with my writing style and I knew Erick would help me push my sound and my vocals to the next level, he is a super talented songwriter, guitarist and vocalist. We worked with CaliBeats on this project, and just wow. He is honestly such a dream to work with. The cover art was done by a South African Artist (CHRISTI DU TOIT), he had worked on previous project with Erick and his band Red Helen, and I was so happy with the outcome, the detail is just amazing. When you zoom in, you just see how delicate and detailed the artwork is. We really wanted a steam punk look and something that really captured the songs essence.”
Cindy-Louise
“To me, the song is about feeling like you’re the odd one out in almost every situation, EXCEPT when you’re with your ‘tribe’. Your people. I’ve always felt like a bit of a black sheep in almost every setting – family, school, college, even just being in public. But there’s this kind of powerful, liberating feeling when you realise there are people who feel exactly the same as you, and you automatically have this strong connection with those people because of it. Working with Cindy was awesome. She has an unmatched excitement and energy about music and creating ‘Outcasts’ with her just felt super easy. We were just popping out ideas and things were flowing easily from the very first session. I can be a little pedantic and easily get caught up in the super fine details of a song. Things that probably no one else would even notice has changed. Where Cindy, I felt, was a little more pragmatic which really kept me grounded while creating this song. When Cindy and I decided that I would do a guitar solo on this track, I was a little nervous because I’ve always found it hard to write solos that excite me while also maintaining a sing-able melody and not ‘overdoing it’ technically. I hope I achieved that with this one.
When we got the first draft of the produced song back from CaliBeats, I was both blown away and terrified at the same time. I was amazed at how good it sounded yet, at the same time, it was so far from anything I’ve recorded in the past, which was scary to me. Strangely, it almost felt like I didn’t co-write the song. But that’s what stepping out of your comfort zone is all about. Now, I love the song completely and the terror has faded. Cindy is an insane vocalist and she delivers an amazing performance all-round. I especially love the gritty, belty vocals she pulls off on parts of this track. It takes me back to the music I grew up listening to and I don’t think I’ve ever heard another female vocalist pull it off quite like this. Conceptualising the artwork for this single, I just couldn’t picture anyone other than Christi Du Toit doing it justice. He’s designed a few things for my band Red Helen and he just exceeds expectations every time. This time was no different.”
Erick Gerber
About Cindy-Louise
Independent artist Cindy-Louise has been making waves in the global music industry since starting her career in 2019. The South African-born singer-songwriter (now residing in The Netherlands) began singing and taking piano lessons at 16 and followed a strict Classical training program. In University her instruments where Classical-and-Jazz voice.
She majored in Music Philosophy and attended the Mediterranean Opera Festival Program in Italy, studying and performing the roles of Despina (Cosi fan tutte) and Susanna (The Marriage of Figaro). Her debut album ‘Humanity’ was released in 2020 to critical acclaim. She likes to keep things fresh and flexible by regularly switches her musical styles, complementing her Pop songs with Rock.
She states that “I’m trying to figure out who I am, and I try to speak and act my truth everyday”. In 2023 she has been focusing on Rock, saying “It’s a wild ride!”
About Erick Gerber
Erick Gerber is a guitarist, vocalist, composer and songwriter whose emphatic focus on detail and ability to execute highly technical passages is contrasted by his soulful feel, voice and versatile musical expression – a byproduct of his broad musical tastes and formal music education (BMus Hons).
Erick is best known as the founding member of South African Progressive Metalcore act Red Helen , as well as former guitarist & backing vocalist of international platinum-selling Pop/Rock artist Jesse Clegg . Some of his most notable performances have been on live television in front of hundreds of thousands of viewers ( Miss South Africa 2019 ) and at a music festival in Germany attended by over 50,000 people ( Wacken Open Air 2014 ).
His eclectic musical background, mixed with even broader influences from styles like Funk, Blues, Jazz and modern Cinematic music, equates to a unique artistic sound, worthly of acclamation by both eccentric “music nerds” and “conventional” radio listeners alike. As a vocalist, Erick enjoys singing breathy, soulful, R&B-like melodies in his low range while adding sustained Rock-like fervent vocal tones in his high range. As a guitarist, he stands out with his slow, soulful, Blues-like expressions combined with his fast, technical runs during dynamic peaks.
Originally from Johannesburg, South Africa, he and his wife Lindsay have recently (mid 2022) moved to Northland, New Zealand where Erick has, for the first time, started his career as a solo artist – combining his eclectic experience to form a unique artistic sound like no other.
Featured image by Jimmy On The Run.
LINKS:
https://linktr.ee/cindylouisemusic
https://facebook.com/ErickGerberMusic
https://instagram.com/ErickGerberMusic