Loving the spotlight-The Citizen Newspaper

Bruce Dennill catches busy local singer and songwriter Dean Meldau during a quiet moment.
Many South African musicians seem to land up with a career as a happy accident, the result of a part-time hobby that snowballed into something sustainable.
For Dean Meldau, though, such things as chance and circumstance are unacceptable details. His approach involves precise planning, heavy networking and a commitment matched only by his slightly overwhelming ambition.
GROUNDWORK COMPLETED
At the age of 24, Meldau has already spent two years studying music overseas, at The Musician..s Institute in Los Angeles. The Institute..s alumni include artists such as Jeff Buckley, John Frusciante (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Rivers Cuomo (Weezer) and Keb Mo.
While there, Meldau appeared in music videos for Vanessa Carlton and Marc Anthony, as well as an extra in the film The Matchstick Men, which starred Nicolas Cage.
Arriving back on home soil, he hooked up with Barry Dean of Liquid Grooves (TK, Marc Beling) to kickstart his marketing drive, and then started up his own company, Vegastar Records, to sort out distribution. Clearly, the man has a plan.
In person, Meldau has the effect of making you check for inconspicuous cameramen. This is because his image as a pop star extends to his meeting-for-coffee persona .. the clothes are carefully chosen, and the hair, though far longer than in his album publicity pictures, is tousled in a way that suggests hard work rather than laziness.
For all that image awareness, though, Meldau is a very down-to-earth, enthusiastic guy. When asked to reference his sound, he resists answering in thesis form .. a sure sign of arrogance .. preferring instead a simple: ..It..s kind of James Blunt-ish...
He..s right there, and even has a single called Beautiful to further support the comparison. He doesn..t have Blunt..s overworked angst, though, preferring a more positive worldview.
TOUCH OF HUMILITY
That attitude includes a refreshing approach to the issue of competition in what is a relatively small industry in this country. Where so many artists and groups embrace a strategy of promoting and developing their own situations exclusively, Meldau sees more benefit in combining forces with other acts.
..In a practical sense, it is .. to me, anyway .. a huge advantage,.. he says. ..Playing live in Johannesburg so often involves an arrangement with venues whereby they will provide the space if you can bring a crowd.
..And if you can plan properly with other artists so that the audiences numbers can double, but also enjoy the other music being played, then everybody wins...
Meldau doesn..t touch on the angles of who would be the headline act and who would play a supporting role, and you sense it..s not really important to him, as long as he gets his songs heard and sees people enjoying the music he..s created.
The man is something of an anomaly .. trained in an environment that has spawned great successes (the title for his debut album, h.i., stands for Hollywood Inspiration) and yet willing to sacrifice potential prestige for the sake of develo-ping the talent of those around him.
Cynicism says that this approach will yield one of two results: success, and a sound reputation to go with it, or abuse of his generosity, and a disillusioned shell of a (well-groomed) man reduced to busking at Park Station to buy bread.
The aforementioned ambition should ensure that Maldau ends up somewhere in the first area, even if the specifics of his dream require some tweaking.
And, if the worst should happen, he..s certainly nailed down all the details regarding providing the platform for a pop career.
He could offer comprehensive preparation for wannabe Idols competitors, advising them on every aspect of the changes needed to take them from nowhere to, at least, the cusp of success.

This story was last updated
10/27/2006 3:05:11 PM
Printed from www.citizen.co.za
at 10/28/2006 12:04:54 PM

Meldau hopes to conquer the world (By Kgomotso Moncho-The Star Newspaper) Something young, fresh and new has just hit the local music scene and his name is Dean Meldau. He is fresh from Hollywood where he spent two years studying music at the Musicians Institute, which is why his debut album is called h.i. - for "Hollywood Inspiration". "Right after high school I left everything behind for a dream," said Meldau. "When I got to Hollywood I was scared and excited all at the same time. The title track of my album was written in the first week I was there. "I was anxious and at times it got depressing, but I was struck by the normality of life there. Looking back, I think I could have done more with my LA experience, but the problem was that I could not work in America." Despite that obstacle, he managed to be featured in music videos for Vanessa Carlton, Marc Anthony and Moby. He was part of the audience for the Dr Phil Show and was an extra in the movie Matchstick Men with Nicholas Cage. "I got caught up in the rat-racing and I wasn't focusing on my music," he said. "The only time I was focused was when I was at school. "To keep up, I sold candy at rock concerts so I could get in for free and see all the different bands. I thought of establishing myself in America first, but when I came home for a holiday I was advised to start with my home base. That's why I'm pushing my album now." The album is released through his own label, Vegastar Records. "I believe if you can do it yourself, you can do it better and on your own terms. I'm learning a lot about the music industry and I have noticed that there isn't enough marketing going into local artists. "It is known that Afrikaans music and kwaito sells, so that is being pushed. But everybody else in the middle is left to fend for themselves," he said. Meldau is also working closely with Liquid Grooves, a music company that has been affiliated with the likes of Mean Mr Mustard and the late TK. The striking thing about his music is his use of words. There is a lot of depth in his lyrics. "I'd say the lyrics in my songs are a life story of all the emotions I have been though thus far." His sound is sensual, but if you had to categorise it, it would probably fall into the adult contemporary pop section. It's a cross between James Blunt, Coldplay and The Beatles. "When you're in a band, you have a certain sound. When you are in the studio, it is just you and the producer and anything can happen. I'm growing within my sound," he said. The first single off his album is called Beautiful and is enjoying airplay on local stations. The video was shot in Belgium when Meldau was there for a couple of gigs. "I'm hoping to inspire and motivate individuals through my music. If I can do that, I would have conquered the world." How he got into music is an interesting story. "I have always been an attention seeker and I remember this from since I was 10 years old. My brother and sister were always trying to steal my shine so I'd sing to get it back. But I was inspired by the Jackson Five. "When I saw Michael Jackson for the first time I loved how he stole the show. "I wanted that same kind of limelight for myself," he said. He is new to the music industry so this means the attention-seeking is just beginning. Published on the web by Tonight on September 27, 2006. © Tonight 2006. All rights reserved.