Wilhelmina Iimene
Young upcoming musician Ruan Peter de Waldt, also known as Eudy, is working towards building a strong foundation for himself in the industry.
The Rehoboth-based artist has been in the local entertainment limelight since 2013 as a dancer.
He started working on his debut EP in June last year, and released it in October that same year.
“I always had a passion for making music since I was seven years old. I have done some SoundCloud stuff back in my teens, but I got focused on dancing before trying my hand at music again,” he told VIBEZ!
Now in his late 20s, De Waldt has so far released only one EP, titled ‘Navigate the Jungle’, and one music video for the song ‘MixBoi’, which speaks of his mixed Xhosa, Coloured and European bloodline.
The student of the music industry continues improving his skills by learning from artists he looks up to.
These include Jay-Z, Kendrick Lamar and Kanye.
African artists he admires are guys like Wizkid and Rema from Nigeria.
Through that, he said, he managed to define his own style, and it also led him to work with experienced producers, who can bring to life the sound he wanted to create.
“That is how I ended up working with House of Araffath, which was highly recommended. Araffath produced, recorded, mixed and mastered my debut EP ‘Navigate the Jungle’,” he said.
Besides looking up to other artists for inspiration, De Waldt said his music is inspired by life experiences, including navigating life, dealing with break-ups, finding love, while at the same time “just winging it”.
It is more than just making music people can groove on, he said.
“I am letting people know about me with each project or song, and over time peel back the layers to the complexity of me as a person, and that not everything or everyone is as they seem.
I want my music to bring an honesty about myself, my flaws and good traits; even things I struggle doing, because I mostly keep to myself. It’s also about having fun, enjoying life and love, and embracing the pain that comes with it.”
The singer said although his debut EP has an afro-pop sound, he plans on challenging himself to deliver something different.
“You might hear more hip-hop elements in my next release. But I just wanna make the music I feel like making, and not be confined to a box or a genre,” he noted.
Asked whom he featured on his first EP, De Waldt, in his defence, said he wanted his first debut EP to be about himself. Hence, there are no feature artists, but he promises that for his next project, there will definitely be more than one producer and a bunch of features, because he has many friends in the industry, and know underground artists whom he wants to work with.
‘Navigate the Jungle’ is available on Spotify, iTunes, YouTube, Donlu and on Reverbnation for free downloads.
Follow Eudy on Facebook, Instagram and Tik Tok @eudy_peter_parker or EUDY
- imenewilly@gmail.com