World fame can wait, says YouTube star
132 27/04/2012 Vicus Visser, South Africa’s singing sensation playing his guitar in Vilikazi Street, Soweto. He was noticed by big recording companies in America in a home made video on you tube. Now he just recorded an album with the mentoring of 5fm dj Gareth Cliff. Picture: Moeletsi Mabe 132 27/04/2012 Vicus Visser, South Africa’s singing sensation playing his guitar in Vilikazi Street, Soweto. He was noticed by big recording companies in America in a home made video on you tube. Now he just recorded an album with the mentoring of 5fm dj Gareth Cliff. Picture: Moeletsi Mabe
It all began with a video clip of an unknown young boy whose angelic voice captivated the world. A year later that boy is releasing a single and, soon, a music video.
So much has changed since the clip of a 10-year-old singing These Arms by All For One went viral on YouTube.
The clip sent top international talent scouts on a hunt in SA for the unknown singing sensation.
Recording giants such as Sony LA and Def Jam were keen to find him.
Megastar producer and songwriter Steve Morales, who has worked with Beyoncé, Shakira, Jennifer Lopez and Enrique Iglesias – also reportedly showed huge interest.
After numerous social media postings and stories in the media, the boy was eventually traced to the Free State in March last year.
By that time, Vicus Visser was no longer a 10-year-old.
He was 17, and while he was still passionate about singing, he had no inkling of the huge buzz that once surrounded him.
When record label executives finally found him, they descended on his home in Heidedal township near Bloemfontein, enticing him with all sorts of offers.
Eventually, Vicus’s mother, Elsie Peters, met Rina Broomberg, who heads a talent management company, One on One, with his partner, 5FM breakfast show host Gareth Cliff.
A protective Peters decided her son would stay in SA for the time being and complete his matric. Vicus moved this year to Joburg, where he is finishing his last year of school while pursuing his musical aspirations under the guidance of Broomberg.
His brother Vincent, o a talented musician, features in Vicus’s debut single, Lovers at First Sight, which is due out at the end of the week.
Broomberg said a full album was to follow by the end of the year. She said while they had decided to keep Vicus in SA, the “Americans were still interested in him”.
“He will go abroad, but for now Vicus wants to start his career at home. We’re in the process of building him as a brand and not only a star but a role model as well,” Broomberg said.
Vicus has made headlines with media coverage likening him to Justin Bieber – the Canadian teenage pop sensation who was also first spotted on YouTube.
For Vicus, the surreal experience has been ‘‘mind-blowing’’.
His management’s guidance entails a strong emphasis on discipline – not only with regards to his singing but other aspects of his life.
‘‘I am getting better by the day and learning things like branding, fashion and doing lots of shopping, while also learning to be savvy with money,” Vicus said.
And international fame is something he’s ready to wait for.
‘‘It will all happen in good time,’’ Vicus said, ‘’I am in no rush and I’m perfecting everything thanks to my managers, my brother and my mentor Gareth.” - Pretoria News