Meet the SaxbyTwins: The Pop Dreamchasers On A Mission To Redefine Independent Music Artistry
Dreams and their fulfilment are two things that are certain to connect when devotion is in the mix; however, the pipeline from point A to B never always comes in the shape of a straight line. Such has been life for South African pop brothers Kyle and Wayde Saxby, professionally known as the SaxbyTwins. In a country brimming over with twin musical talents. from Locnville to the Qwabe Twins, the SaxbyTwins have been on a mission to carve their name in Mzansi music lore, keeping their listeners’ hips swaying and heads bobbing to their pop tunes.
Raised by a mother who was a music teacher to which they ascribed their acumen for musicality and a sporty father, the brothers enjoyed a dual childhood that exposed them to sports and music, exposure which cultivated their early childhood desires and inspired them to aspire to play for the national cricket team, the Proteas. However, as a pair of moths enchanted by the glow of a flame, the brothers found themselves gravitating towards making music, a path which started out as innocent fun with karaoke.
SaxbyTwins
Speaking to one-half of the Saxby brothers, Wayde Saxby, he spoke fondly of his childhood and the events which not only spawned a love for him and his brother but also heartened the twins to follow their hearts.
“We were very fortunate in a sense that we were both the same growing up as identical twins. We never really had many differences in terms of one being better at one thing than the other. We both played sports growing up and we both were provincial cricket players. And growing up, that was the dream: to become professional cricket players and make it to the Proteas [National Cricket Team]. And as things went on, we’d get home after school, go into our lounge area and put on the karaoke version of songs and just have fun. During those times, we never really thought we’d eventually take the music down the professional side of things. But eventually, we got to a stage where we found ourselves in Durban, sitting among a group of other people, and this one person asked us if we could sing, to which we answered that we could.
“From that day onward, we started our Instagram page. Initially we were scared of what people were going to think and say about us transitioning from being sporty to going into the more musical side of things. But we didn’t look back. We went for it until we got to where we are today. It started off as a passion till we became the Saxby Twins duo,” Wayde said.
SaxbyTwins
The twins recently dropped their single “Give Me Everything”. Inspired by the weight of love and the significance that connection has on the other person, Wayde spoke about the creation of the song and how the brothers also angled for a soft rebrand with the track to showcase their growth and the gradual evolution of their craft.
“The song started out as a completely different idea. It took a while but once we got to the final product, things took off. It began as an upbeat song before it eventually got slow-ish. The idea of the song stemmed from wanting to rebrand ourselves and to aim for introducing a new era of the SaxbyTwins with a more mature approach when it comes to the music. The song is essentially about finding this relationship and wanting the other person to give you all they’ve got and knowing that if everything between you came crashing down, it would mean losing the other half of you,” Wayde said.
Listen to “Give Me Everything” here:
For the SaxbyTwins, the buildup of momentum has been at the forefront of their journey as indie artists. With a countrywide tour on the cards, the first show kicking off in Potch, Wayde divulged that the blueprint for the brothers is staying active through consistent releases via singles. Although they have their sights set on dropping an album, Wayde reiterated that while the brothers were moving with urgency, that did not mean they were making forced moves and making waste along with haste.
“First, we’ve got a show in Potchefstroom this coming weekend. Then, we’ve got Bloemfontein and various other shows coming up all around the country. And from a musical point of view, we’ll be hitting the studio this Sunday to work on some new music. Ideally, we’d like to drop an album, but to get there we’ll probably start with a few more singles leading up to an EP. It’s tricky to pinpoint the perfect time to create an album since that takes a lot of time. But for now, we’ll keep going with the singles as independent artists who control everything when it comes the decisions,” he said.
SaxbyTwins
Influenced by the likes of OneRepublic, Benson Boon, Hozier, Noah Kahan, the SaxbyTwins cited that the key to unlocking originality and making a mark in the music industry is hidden in being oneself. Wayde spoke about the importance of understanding that every artist had a different road, that not every musician operated off the same timeline. Having built a solid platform for themselves, Saxby touched on the impact he felt he and his brother wished to make in the industry not only as an indie duo but also as a driving force within the independent niche.
“It all started off with us going independent. We were signed once upon a time, so the journey does have its challenges, and it has gotten harder in many different ways. But the main thing we want to do is show people that we didn’t drop out of university just to pursue this. We want to be known as guys who are doing music but who also have degrees behind them. In that sense, it’s about putting the education to use along with the music as indie artists.
“One thing we’ve also been doing lately is calling up-and-coming acts to come and join us on stage and give them a moment to express themselves in front of a big crowd. To us, that’s an important thing because as South Africans we all know how hard it is to put yourself on the map. We know what it’s like even though we’ve come so far and still have a long way to go.” Wayde said.