Karin Kortje rose to fame after winning South African Idols in 2005. Her singing career started at the age of five, when she sang at the Dutch Reformed Church in her hometown of Grabouw. But the road to stardom was not an easy one. She spoke to Jodi-Mari Adams about her journey to Idols, and the one decision that would change her life.
“I had a happy life,” says Kortje. She remembers her mother, Margaret, as being very strict. Her father, Niklaas, loved his church and his family, she says.
Kortje remembers growing up in “a good Christian home”. “We received love, but in a tough manner,” she says.
From a young age, Kortje knew that she enjoyed singing, but her singing career only started in high school, says Kortje, who attended Groenberg Secondary School in Grabouw.
The music industry is difficult, especially for women, says Karin Kortje, winner of the third season of South African Idols, in 2005. “But, die Here het nie gesê die industry behoort aan die manne nie. [The Lord didn’t say industry belongs to the guys.] So, I fight for that,” says Kortje. PHOTO: Supplied/Karin Kortje
God, grief, and rebellion
“Singing has been a part of me since I was five years old. I remember my mother used to insist that I sing in church. I was part of the choir,” recalls Kortje.
“She sang in the Dutch Reformed Church since she was a youngster,” says Valencia Dramat, a family friend of the Kortjes who resides in Grabouw. “She was so talented and had a voice of gold,” says Dramat.
She sang at primary school, too, but whilst completing her school career at Groenberg, she was a part of a singing group called the Groenberg Trio.
Karin Kortje, winner of the 2005 South African Idols, completed her high school career at Groenberg Secondary School. “I had beautiful times there,” says Kortje. The singer attributes the start of her singing career to her high school, where she was part of a musical group called The Groenberg Trio. The group also included Tracey-Lee Oliver, and Chantel Abrahams, says Kortje. PHOTO: Jodi-Mari Adams
The trio consisted of Tracey-Lee Oliver, Chantel Abrahams, and herself, says Kortje. “That is how I basically found myself and what I wanted to do in life.”
After high school, Kortje found herself pursuing music less actively, as she was facing a great deal of hardship during that time.
“My mother died when I was 19 years old. I was still in grade 11,” says Kortje. Her grandmother also passed away that same year, she says.
Losing two family members so closely after one another was especially hard for her, as she had faced similar circumstances just a few years prior. In 1993, when she was in grade 7, she lost both her father and her brother.
This led to her having to repeat that academic year, she says.
Now, only a few years later, she had to go through that same pain for a second time, says Kortje. “It broke me […] into pieces.”
“I was rebellious for about two years after my mother died,” says Kortje. “I finished school and then I just went into a rage of… I don’t know what it was. But I just rebelled,” she recalls.
Looking back, her reckless behaviour could have cost her her life, she says. “It was in those times when God was there, with me,” says Kortje.
It was in those times when God was there, with me.
Karin Kortje, singer and founder of the Karin Kortje Foundation, grew up in Grabow, a small town just outside Cape Town. She was one of seven children, and was raised by her parents, Niklaas and Margaret, and her grandmother, Ouma Sari, whom she adored, says Kortje PHOTO: Jodi-Mari Adams
A turning point
After matric, Kortje started working at the local apple factory, Two a Day, with the help of her sister. It was during this time that she met Stanley Witbooi, the father of her first-born.
The pair moved into a Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) house together, where they started a family, she says. But she realised that this was not the kind of life that she had in mind for herself.
“I remember at that time… I was very depressed because I was in that situation, [because] I was living in that area, you know?” says Kortje.
It was during this time that Kortje was approached by a friend, Vernon Joorst, who invited her to sing in his band, The Elginairs, while his sister was on maternity leave, she says. The decision to join his band was a turning point in her life, says Kortje.
“I didn’t think much of the fact that I was going to be singing in a band. I think it’s also because, at that time, I somehow gave up on ever pursuing my passion and making it a reality,” says Kortje. “But God had a different plan.”
Initially Kortje, still mischievous, would disappear as band practice would start, to drink in a local tavern. However, Joorst refused to give up on her, says Kortje. “He would come look for me […] and get me out of the tavern.”
It was Joorst who encouraged her to audition for South African Idols, she says. He was also the one who brought her the auditioning forms.
Working at an apple factory for two years was an amazing journey, says Karin Kortje, winner of the third season of South African Idols., having to wake up before seven o’clock took a lot out of her, but ‘it was an amazing time’, she says. PHOTO: Jodi-Mari Adams
The sky’s the limit
After a difficult journey of trying to break into the industry, Kortje had a successful Idols audition, making it through to the next round.
“I couldn’t believe it. I cried. I remember I was walking out with my forms [for the next round] after everything […] My tears were just flowing all over the place,” she says.
She went on to win that season of South African Idols, which opened many doors for her, says Kortje.
Karin Kortje, winner of the 2005 South African Idols, and started singing in the Dutch Reformed Church there when she was five years old. “She was so talented and had a voice of gold,” says Valencia Dramat, a family friend. PHOTO: Jodi-Mari Adams
A dark time
Kortje brings up one of the biggest challenges of her life. In 2006, a year after she won Idols, her then-boyfriend, Cheslin Williams, was arrested and later found guilty of the murder of a guesthouse owner in Durbanville.
“All the things that I went through, all the challenges, including the murder in Durbanville, I don’t speak about it much,” says Kortje. “I’ve dealt with that and those emotions. I’ve made peace. I’ve moved on.”
Kortje says that the positive thing about her journey is the outcome and the lessons she has learnt.
“I always grew from them,” she says. “Obviously, God has a purpose for my life and there’s a reason why I am on this journey that I am on.”
Five years ago, she founded the Karin Kortje Foundation, a non-profit organisation (NPO). Many people advised her to start the NPO to help her with funding for the work she was doing within the Overberg community.
The NPO hosts an annual talent show called “Overbergs Got Talent”, which goes out into the community and allows the youth to audition for the show.
In addition to the semi-finals and finals, Kortje also hosts a workshop where moguls of the talent industry teach the kids the skills they would need in the industry. She started the foundation after a project she did to celebrate her 10-year anniversary in the industry in 2015 – Overberg’s Got Talent.
The talent show started off small, only showcasing the youth of Grabouw, but later snowballed into a bigger project, which included the rest of the Overberg District Municipality’s youths, says Kortje.
The Karin Kortje Foundation is an outreach program for youths of the Overberg. Having grown up in that area, Karin Kortje knows how difficult it can be for youngsters who have a passion, but don’t see a future. “I’ve been there,” says the 2005 South African Idols winner. PHOTO Supplied/Karin Kortje
Kortje advises those who want to break into the music industry to never give up on their passion. “Whatever it is that God laid on your heart… never give up on that. However, learn the lessons that life tries to teach you,” says Kortje.
She would encourage young people to continue to reach for their dreams. She quotes from her own song, Live out loud: “Don’t let anybody tell you that it’s too far. Raise up your voice. Stand tall and proud. Don’t let anybody tell you that you can’t live out loud.”