In a chance encounter, typical of her character, Jennifer Nel (22), met her accompanying guitarist Phillip Muller (21), at her twenty-second birthday bash.
“I completely over-catered with the punch, it was a bit excessive. We were at a friend of mine’s flat and I saw this bunch of guys and I was like well, this punch needs to be drunk!”
After completing a Bachelor of Commerce degree (BCom), Nel decided to pick up a gauntlet that few of us are brave enough to touch and pursue a career incorporating her greatest passion: singing.
In a world where the conventional route of tertiary education is often followed to its logical end, it is refreshing to speak to somebody so intent and excited about following the road less travelled; one of high risk and high fulfilment.
“The plan was always to pursue music after high school and getting my degree… I had my first singing lesson in grade three and continued until matric,” she comments.
Nel’s personal style mirrors her persona, with flamboyant colours and bohemian pieces. It is difficult to imagine her bent over textbooks dealing with Business Studies and Tax, but she does not regret the time she spent attaining her degree.
“It’s all about learning and doing something new. My degree was kind of a “sabbatical”. Music’s always been my passion. My BCom has helped me in a non-conventional way in that I’ve met a lot of people through my degree that have led me to other musical connections in the industry.”
Jennifer Nel and Phillip Muller (21) performing at a private event. PHOTO: Amy Sedgwick
Nel’s mentor and the director and co-owner of Musaic, Ronel Viljoen (49), speaks warmly of her former pupil.
“She wanted to start her music journey again [after university] and was looking for some voice coaching to just get the basics right again. I then worked with her for a year. At this stage she was more than ready to go on her own.”
Jennifer Nel grew up in Somerset West and attended Somerset College. As a local, she jokes that one of the greatest challenges since leaving university has been moving back to live with her parents. She adds that they attend the majority of her performances and expresses her gratitude for their unwavering support.
When pursuing a career with no set parameters, creating your own schedule proves challenging.
“You have to pick your battles and find structure. I have to kind of force myself into doing the things I don’t want to do that come with music, and it’s hard when you don’t have something or someone really pushing you. It’s more yourself,” Nel explains.
Building on this, Viljoen says, “In South Africa to sustain yourself in any of the arts you have to be great. You have to be at the right place at the right time. You have to network and get yourself out there. Not easy. This comes with constant critique as well. You must want this more than anything and you must be willing to take chances.”
Nel is a reminder that no path taken is ever in vain and that university may have its practical advantages even though it is a highly academic environment.
“I’m terrible with money,” she laughs. “Actually, I probably should be good with it since I studied Investment Management, but my passion has never been in finance.
Jennifer Nel (22) and Phillip Muller (21) at the Art Creator Gallery, Lourensford Wine Estate for the Cape Leopard Trust’s fundraising event. PHOTO: Supplied
She lights up, saying, “But it has helped me with booking gigs. You have to send quotes and invoices, charge people, you know?”
Although the life of a musician appears to have a whimsical quality, many hours go into rehearsal, booking gigs and finding ways to say no to what many take for granted.
“I had to cut certain things out because my voice was very fragile. I had to say no to a lot social events with my friends because even speaking too loudly could set my voice back. It was pretty tough.
“It’s getting easier and my voice has definitely strengthened. Now I’m trying to find a balance between the two because I did go pretty cold turkey in the beginning.”
Nel performs a minimum 26 songs per gig, consisting of two 45 minute sets. A close friend of hers, Nina Strong (22), says she has always known this is the path Nel was meant to take.
“She’ll go the extra mile and absolutely give it her all. It’s not a side job – it’s something she’s diving head first into.”
With acoustic covers ranging from Bryan Adams and Katie Melua to Harry Styles and The Eagles, Nel’s voice transforms the well-known ballads into something entirely unique.
Mentor, Viljoen says, “I have always said to Jennifer that she has a unique voice – even when she was at preparatory school she did not sound like the other girls in her age group.
“She has a warm, sultry kind of voice very much for me like KT Tunstall and Norah Jones. Very jazzy and laid back kind of singing.”
To those who dream of pursuing a career entirely unrelated to that which they studied, Nel offers the following advice, although she insists she isn’t qualified to.
“Don’t worry about becoming a human rash, because that’s what you’ll become. People probably won’t respond till the sixth call or the twenty-eighth e-mail and that’s ok. Just keep going, because eventually you will get their attention.
“If you told me a year ago that I would be opening for well-known South African musicians, I would have said no. It’s really tough. A tough industry. I still don’t really know what the hell I’m doing, but as soon as you start getting those gigs and start getting busy it’s all worth it.”
Jennifer Nel (22) during a performance at a private function. PHOTO: Amy Sedgwick
Nel mentions that the following year sees her releasing original collaborative material, about which she does not wish to disclose too much.
It is evident that while Nel takes her work seriously, humour permeates every aspect of her life, a quality which has perhaps recommended her to so many audiences in and around the Cape Town area.
“It sometimes takes time to get in the groove, but once you do, it’s a lot of fun,” she says, not realising that in a simple sentence, every worry has already been taken care of.
Listen to Jennifer cover Put your records on by Corinne Bailey Rae.
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