#TeamVanCoke

Francois van Coke replaces Karen Zoid as the Rocker on the new Voice’s Coaching Panel!

The coaching panel for The Voice South Africa Season 3 would include three hitmakers from different backgrounds and music genres: a Flamboyant male rapper and producer, an Afrikaans gospel, country and pop darling and an Afro-chick soul diva. Missing from the mix was a rebellious rocker… and perhaps a little more testosterone.  Formidable rock band front man Francois van Coke is season three’s rocking coach.

The gifted Van Coke, who rocked, and initially shocked the Afrikaans music scene with his irreverent alternative band, called Fokofpolisiekar.  He made more waves with the legendary group, The Van Coke Kartel.  But now, he joins Riky Rick, Riana Nel and Lira, on the iconic red coaches’ chairs for the third season of The Voice South Africa.

The SA version of this International talent phenomenon, commenced production in November 2018, with the recordings of the Blind Auditions, at the Urban Studios, situated in the newly developed  Brightwater Commons.  For the uninitiated, during the show’s Blind Auditions, as audiences globally got accustomed to, the four coaches sit with their backs to the stage, judging the talent on their vocal abilities only. If they like what they hear, they push a red button to swivel their chairs around to see the artist.  If more than one coach shows interest, the real fun starts.  They then have to persuade the talent why they are the best choice to pave the way to a career in the music industry.

It’s going to be interesting to see how Francois’s #TeamVanCoke will push the boundaries to create fresh crowd-pullers, whose music will capture the spirit of our times. Francois is known for his surprising stunts and The Voice SA talent who wants to go off the beaten track, but still benefit from the skills of a multi-talented musician and solid vocalist, can’t go wrong by choosing him as their mentor.

After the massive success off Fokofpolisiekar and Van Coke Kartel, which raked in 5 SAMAs, MK and other awards, Francois kicked off his solo career in 2015 with the release of the most poignant ballad of that year Toe vind ek jou, featuring his coaching predecessor, Karen Zoid. The song quickly jumped to the number 1 position on iTunes and became the biggest Afrikaans music video of 2015, with more than one million views.  A second album called Hierdie is die Lewe followed, which earned him a Ghoema Award.

Francois, who loves collaborations, also released the En Vriende EP in July 2018, showcasing his talent with the likes of, Die Heuwels Fantasties, Early B and AKING’s Laudo Liebenberg.

Then, In October 2018, Francois became part of another innovative concept: Die Van Coke Show on kykNET.  In this quirky game show, with no prizes, famous participants follow clues to guess which Afrikaans hit song Francois will cover with a rock and roll twist.  The “mystery” song is released on digital platforms and the music video on YouTube each week. This is not the first time he’s explored the limitless opportunities of the digital world. Some of his releases and international tours with his other band, Die Gevaar, have been crowd-funded.

The new coaches are all movers and shakers in their own spheres, and the mix of unique personalities will bring a whole new chemistry to the show.   At the same time, they’re building on the legacy of the superb Season 1 and 2 coaches Kahn Morbee, Karen Zoid and Bobby van Jaarsveld, whose passion for and commitment to The Voice SAlaunched several careers. Hard acts to follow!

Catch #TeamVanCoke on M-Net, Channel 101, when the 3rd season of The Voice South Africa will air on Sundays, starting 3 February 2019.