Savannah Collins (20) is a solo, acoustic musician from Windhoek Namibia.
At age thirteen, she taught herself how to play the guitar and began writing her first songs on the beaches of Swakopmund, where she spent most of her childhood.
Inspired to continue with her newly found passion, Savannah began broadening her musical ability by accompanying vocals to her instrument. This love affair would continue for two more years before she decided to take to the stage and kick-start her live performance career. With regular gigs at local bars, restaurants and hotels, she quickly began making a name for herself in the Namibian music scene.
Furthermore, in 2009 Savannah moved back to her home town, Windhoek, and attended a local music school for guitar and theory. One year later she held her very first solo acoustic concert at the FNCC (Franco Namibian Cultural Centre), where she performed a nineteen song set, comprising mostly of original music, and featured other musicians such as, guitarist Sean Mitchel, Ollie Reissner on harmonica as well as two rap artists Bray and Carlos, that joined in with the show. It was a great success that inspired Savannah to continue pursuing her love of the stage.
By age seventeen Savannah had already performed a variety of larger shows, corporate functions, and solo concerts such as her Warehouse show in early 2011 and was about to take part in her very first festival – NAMROCK 2011. Joining her on stage was a local drummer and marimba artist Ferdinand Hengombe on the Djembe who added some flavor to her 30 minute set. At the same time Savannah had just recently begun studying music theory through UNISA where she would go on to complete grades 1-4 with distinctions. In addition, her growing list of performances included opening the show at the 2012 Radiowave birthday bash, performing live on NBC (Namibian Broadcasting Channel), Launching the BOSS Ice Tea brand at the Hilton Hotel, as well as performing in parliament for the Woman’s day inauguration ceremony.
By late 2012 Savannah was in her final year of high school and was performing more than she ever had before, as the youngest solo artist in the country, as well as completing her musical studies on the side. She had also been asked to open for many local bands, such as Tribe Union, Small Town Tramp and Crimson House and artists such as Sharon Van Rooi, as well as feature in the music video of Lize Ehlers http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZV0038NX2RY.
In this year she took part in World Music Day and was joined on stage by Djembe player Josh Wenk and rap artist Bray Sidmen. Savannah was also invited back to perform at her second NAMROCK festival in October that year. Check out the folowing links below on her Namrock interviews:
Radiowave interviews
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fA7ACranMlQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoK8hS-ncBE
Official Namrock video 2012
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dg7sgpv6UgU
Before the year was over she performed live at the Hilton Kala bar, Kalahari Sands hotel and the Dessert Tavern in Swakopmund with her solo acoustic act. After completing her Matric Savannah applied for COPA (Campus of performing arts) in Cape Town South Africa where she completed her first year of vocals and electric guitar in 2013 and is currently completing NQF4 in electric guitar, she is also the very first girl to ever achieve this qualification so far.
Savannah has also been active in the Cape Town Music scene, where is performed at the Woman’s day celebrations at Mercury, performed with a three piece band at the Hout bay market, Performed at the Cape Hutton Wine farm in Stellenbosch, performed at the opening of the Blues Café as well as joined local band Crimson House for a corporate function in Blouberg Strand last year.
Savannah has just performed her 4th NAMROCK festival this year, where she was joined on stage by two South African musicians on bass and drums.
