ALL IT TAKES IS ONE SHOT! 14 Get It <strong>Pretoria</strong> <strong>Sep</strong>tember <strong>2019</strong>
His diary is so busy it will make your head spin and his CV seems to grow by the day. Willem Botha is a presenter, actor, photographer and musician and now fans can finally look forward to a brand new album. Willem Botha might be a familiar face on red carpets, TV and movie screens, but even after 14 years in the industry, music remains his first love. Yet he knows how hard you have to work to reap the rewards. After all, sometimes you only get one shot to make it work. ‘You sometimes only get that one chance to make a difference in someone’s life. It all depends on you and whether you grab the opportunity and make it work,’ he explains. The singer believes in taking time to make sure he is 100 per cent happy with a project before releasing it, and after more than a year’s hard work, writing songs and recording his brand new album, it is finally available. Aptly titled One Shot, Silver Lakes own Botha’s brand new album is set to fly off music shelves and downloaded and streamed like crazy. And you only have to listen to the title track to hear why. The hunky singer with the million-dollar smile has done it again. He wrote most of the songs himself but also co-wrote with other talented writers like Vaughan Gardiner, Hugo Ludik and Michael Lindt. ‘I’ve developed quite a passion for writing with other people,’ Willem says. ‘For my songs I get inspiration from people. I love other people’s stories and the things that make them uniquely. With my work on Kwêla I get to meet so many interesting people. Sometimes they are funny, but most of the time these people are unbelievably inspiring,’ the singer says. The music video for the title track, ‘One Shot’, has also recently been released and Willem called in the help of some friends to feature in the video. ‘The concept behind the video tells the story of a group of friends who work together on a horse ranch overseas. My brother worked on a horse ranch after finishing school – first in America for two years and thereafter in Australia for another three years. The stories that he tells are legendary. Your friends really become like your brothers and sometimes it’s all you have in a foreign country. During the day we (the four friends) would work together and at night they would get together for a braai,’ Willem explains the idea behind the music video. He wanted the video and friendships depicted to be as authentic as possible and roped in the help of his own friends. ‘It was the first time that I didn’t use actors in one of my videos, but my friends and I can always just be our true selves and I think it brings something special to the video,’ Willem adds. The video was shot at Strydom Arabian stud, a horse ranch just outside of Bronkhorspruit. And how does the album, One Shot, differ from his previous albums? ‘With every album I try and be as true to my own style and taste as I can. This album once again has a nice country feel to it and it features songs that tells stories. I’m crazy about country music, so it’s the kind of songs that I myself will listen to, download or buy.’ Few people know this but apart from all his other amazing qualities, Willem is also a professional horse rider. ‘I think horse riding is just like singing. You don’t just one day wake up and try it. You are born with that absolute love and passion. My horses and animals were and always will be my life. I started training professionally and competing with horses when I was 10 years old. It taught me a lot about discipline,’ he says. The singer got his first horse as a birthday gift from his parents when he was just seven years old. ‘Her name was Patchy and she was brown and white with a big red bow around her neck,’ Willem remembers. But, don’t think riding professionally is easy. When he was training for shows or endurance races, Willem used to practise four hours per day, five days a week. ‘And because my brother and I had more than one horse, we had to put in extra work. My parents taught me from a young age that the only way you can be the best is if you work the hardest,’ Willem says. He still owns a few horses, but his favourite, Smilde Cyclips, has since retired and lives on his parent’s farm in Riversdal. ‘He is fat and round and gets spoiled way to much,’ Willem laughs. When he is not busy shooting TV inserts for the TV programme Kwêla, behind the scenes taking the most beautiful photographs of people or busy with shows, Willem loves to spend time in the garden. He also loves to make his own furniture. Yes, furniture. ‘I’ve made my dining room table as well as my television stand. Being creative relaxes me,’ Willem explains. Spending some alone time amidst a busy schedule is something Willem is very passionate about. ‘There was a time when I just didn’t ever say no to projects, no matter how tired I was. Now I make sure to take at least a day or two off, every second or third week,’ he says. And of course he needs time for the newest member of the Botha household. Little Seven. She’s the cutest little Yorkie. ‘Yorkies are just full of love and these days I tend to get a bit homesick when I have to be away from home for a long time. So my amazing managing team and I made the arrangement that if we do a show three hours from home or closer we drive back after the show. There is just nothing better than your own home and bed,’ he says. <strong>Sep</strong>tember <strong>2019</strong> Get It <strong>Pretoria</strong> 15 Text: MARIËTTE VAN NIEKERK / Cover and profile photographer: ANTHONY HORAK PHOTOGRAPHY / Hair and make-up: FOLLICE INC / Location: STRYDOM ARABIAN STUD