Hersh Snyders is on His Way Up, and Here’s Why
Moments before my interview with one of South Africa’s breakthrough R&B artists, I scroll past his face and album on both Instagram and Tiktok. Although initially sceptical of social media’s algorithm; the reality of this coincidence was much more intentional – Hersh Snyders is on his way up…everywhere.
Born Herschel Synders, the 25-year-old Grassy Park native has made a prominent mark for himself on South Africa’s R&B scene. The young and soulful singer, signed to Sony Music Africa, has graced the local scene with the drop of his EP Peace of Mind at the end of May this year. An incredibly humble and passionate disposition emerges from Hersh during our interview, making it very apparent that this is a young artist who knows exactly what he wants out of his music – and is on his way to making it happen.
Hersh notes that before the launch of his career into music, it was football that was his pursued path. “I actually got offered a contract in Grade 11” notes the singer. However, due to an injury and perhaps fate, Hersh Snyders became a name known in the music rather than the sports scene. Being born into a family with musical parents and 3 older sisters that would sing and enter competitions, Hersh always had the gift of music bellowing inside of him. He gained his holistic and practical experience through his start as a singer in a boyband alongside reputable local producer, BakerGotTheKeys. The singer/songwriter notes however that “on stage…it felt like entertainment; it wasn’t authentic”; which drew the artist to taking a more intimate and meticulous approach to making the kind of music that we hear from him today.
Whilst studying a Bachelor of Commerce at the University of the Western Cape, Hersh learned how to record himself and began releasing covers of songs. It was here that the then-independent artist began garnering his niched community of collaborators and his “musical family”. Noting his significant relationships with singer/rapper KA$HCPT and producers Baker and Soulfulclay, Hersh describes the importance of working with artists that you “connect with…personally”; noting the artists as long time friends and “excellent” creatives. Hersh mentions the importance of choosing mostly CPT-based artists in his “want[ing] Cape Town to shine”.
Hersh’s EP Peace of Mind expresses a cathartic and intimate journey of “life, love, opportunities, frustrations…things that have happened, things that I want to happen”. This intention is apparent in the EP’s metaphysical balance of experiences of the mind and experiences of the soul through music; reaching what Hersh considers “peace of mind”. One of the top singles from the EP, “Enough”, balances Hersh’s soulful and raspy vocals with a futuristic and bouncy synth – creating an equally playful and poignant ballad honoring the artist’s own journey. Hersh notes that his sound is not attempting to mix genres together; “it’s not Trap Soul, it’s not Hip-Hop, I’m trying to make my own type of sub-genre in RnB…it’s like a mixture of the old-school soul with new-school R&B”.
Hersh’s collaborative song “Life with a Twist”, featuring KA$HCPT, is one particular favourite of his from the EP. The instrumental features arpeggiated synths, entrenching the same type of futuristic bounce as “Enough”, giving the song not only an almost Pop-type feel, but also a sense of optimism and drive. Again the bouncy instrumental is able to balance the cooing, dynamic and soulful voices of both Hersh and Kash – maintaining again the balance that Hersh notes between mind and soul. The song “Life with a Twist”, as well as having these optimistic and futuristic elements, expresses the shift that occurs within Hersh’s journey. Much like Hersh’s transition from a football player into a musician – the music parallels the shifts and transitions often faced in life; however, the motivating pop feel of the song, much like Hersh’s attitude, encourages the embracement of these very unpredictable twists of life that will ultimately lead us, like Hersh, onto the path for which we are destined.
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