Covering a song by another artist can be a challenging task. When done well, artists may add their own distinctive touch to an original work, completely making it their own.
The Ndlovu Youth Choir is made up of at-risk and disadvantaged kids from the remote community of Moutse in Limpopo, South Africa. They usually cover other artists’ songs, but we were unsure if they could do a song that we hear on the radio all the time.
You might recognize the Ndlovu Youth Choir from their recent appearance on “America’s Got Talent.” Dressed in the rich colors of their tribal background, these outstanding singers stunned the judges with a dynamic rendition of “My African Dream,” which judge Simon Cowell commended for distinguishing them from previous choirs on the program.
The choir prides itself on providing “an experience of infectious joy,” and their latest venture into pop song covers exemplifies that. Choosing Ed Sheeran’s song “Shape of You” may appear to be an unexpected option, but after you hear these outstanding artists make the song their own, your concerns will be alleviated!
To add even more intrigue to the tune, the choir enlisted Grammy Award-winning flutist Wouter Kellerman to join them. Wouter, a South African producer and songwriter, has won seven South African Music Awards.
As the song begins, we see Wouter dancing with the choir, who, as always, are perfectly synchronized to the music. Singer Thulisile Masanabo quickly moves away from the audience and delivers the solo—the portion Ed Sheeran would sing in the original song, but in her native tongue rather than English.
While some English phrases appear in the song, it is mostly sung in isiZulu, the Zulu language spoken by around 10 million native speakers in South Africa. The outcome is a whole different experience!
One of the most impressive qualities of the Ndlovu Youth Choir is their ability to harmonize and create their own backing music. Aside from Wouter’s flute and a steady drumbeat, the song’s melody is entirely composed of human voices. Each segment performs a distinct piece of the song, similar to how a cappella groups function.
Male and female vocals combine to provide a stunning sound that easily surpasses the original song. Wouter plays a distinctive alto flute that gives a mournful, haunting element to the whole performance, but he also appears to be having a wonderful time dancing alongside the choir!
The Ndlovu Youth Choir took the source material and made it their own with this fantastic cover. Wouter published this video on his social media channels, and it instantly went viral.
Watch the video below to find out what all the excitement is about! Enjoy a few minutes of entertainment from a group of truly talented individuals. Do not forget to share!