Today we’d like to introduce you to Breindy And Matt Klawansky
Hi Breindy and Matt, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
We’re a husband -and-wife- duo, based in Johannesburg and make music to the original biblical texts of King David.
We are also parents to 5 children- our youngest is 6 months old.
Matt and I met through a mutual friend. At the time he was running a small record label, and I told him that I had compositions of mine that I would love to record. He was keen to sign me and 9 months later we released our debut album Hallelukah. We got married soon after the album was released and started performing our live shows together.
Our 2nd album ‘Ruth Ave’ was made in a dark-lit studio that became Alex’s, our son’s bedroom.
The 2 of us lost ourselves in a world that nobody from the outside (save for a handful) knew we were in.
The album took over 4 years and was made while we were going about our daily lives and trying to be typical nursery school parents. I remember fetching Rychel from nursery school, while I was listening to drafts of the album in my car and the experience felt very lonely, as I couldn’t really share what the album meant to me with anyone except some close friends.
The song “Alex’ was composed during my pregnancy with him and as soon as he was born I knew that we would dedicate it to him.
Lulei was also composed when I was pregnant with my daughter, Rychel.
In 2019, Ruth Ave was nominated for best alternative album at the SAMAs (south African music awards) and also received a Global Music Award a year later. We felt so touched that our personal project that we invested so much time in had been recognized in our country and were thrilled to contribute to the diversity of the South African music scene.
Besides my music-making I also run a kids music school called Free2B Me, and I am passionate about exposing young kids to all kinds of genres of music and using music as a tool for development. My school has been running for over 10 years and I feel very lucky to be able to nurture these young amazing children and to be able to give over the magic of music to them and help them thrive.
I am also a poet and have had some of my poetry published in journals in South Africa, America and Israel as well as an anthology in India.
I have always loved being able to express myself through music and poetry and my future goal is to publish a collection someday.
This year, I was inducted to the Recording Academy/ Grammy’s class of 2024 and feel very humbled to have joined such a remarkable group of musicians and am excited about the connections I’ve made so far, especially in the global and alternative music scene, in Japan, India and New York.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Being a musician is the most rewarding and beautiful thing in the world but it definitely has its challenges.
I have no one pushing me and telling me what to do so I have to constantly be motivating myself. I love the fact that I have my own freedom to create what I like and that we have our own record label so we can experiment a lot in our music and can also work to our own pace.
It obviously also has its downsides; there is no one way to do anything and never a clear strategy of what I’m actually supposed to be doing.
I know that when I’m composing, I feel that I’m being challenged and therefore feel a sense of newness and productivity every time I compose a new song, but because my life is busy with so much else going on, I’m not sitting and composing all day and there’s a constant nagging feeling that I should be making more music.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
We compose music to the original biblical texts of King David.
We have also worked with many musicians on our albums, including Matt’s brother Isaac Klawansky, who is also the drummer of Sama-winning rock band, Shadowclub.
Although the material is based on Jewish texts, the musical influences that have shaped our sound are varied.
We love bands like Radiohead, the War on Drugs, Bon Iver and Sigur Ros and we also have a love for the simplicity of a Niggun, which is a meditative tune without words and very popular in Jewish music.
Our debut album was released in 2011 called Hallelukah
We released an EP, in 2015 with a single dedicated to my daughter, Rychel called Lulei, For Rychel with love.
In 2018, we released our 2nd album, Ruth Ave
In 2023, we released Lo Sira – our first collaboration with Mbuzeni, a Sama-Nominated Maskandi artist, who sings in Zulu.
In August 2024, we released our 2nd collab with Mbuzeni, ‘Al Tuster’ and our single ‘Take Me Back to Woody Cape’.
In 2018, we released ‘Ruth Ave’
What’s next?
I am excited to continue collaborating with inspiring, interesting and dedicated artists in South Africa as well as abroad.
I am hoping to collaborate with 3 time Grammy award Indian artist and producer Ricky Kej, who has very kindly reached out to me, since joining the academy. We’ve been corresponding and since we both have an interest in the global music scene, our musical interests share a space and I’m excited to see what can come out of the collaboration.
Matt and I have a lot of new material that hasn’t been recorded or produced yet. One is a song I composed the night my very special grandmother, Elli Braun passed away at the age of 98 and a half. She was from Vienna and lived in Jerusalem and I had just gone to visit her and left my 4 kids behind. It was very important for me to see her – she was and will always be a huge part of my life and the most wonderful, kind, generous and lively person.
When I woke up, we heard the sad news that she had passed away in her sleep and I was completely devastated but so glad and touched that I got to see her and that I have a song that I will dedicate in her memory.
I also have a very moving song which was played on piano by Hanna Green at Howard Audio studio and I’m excited to share it on the new album.
I am also hoping to have a show at the end of November at Theatre On The Square and look forward to performing after a long time focusing on finishing and releasing our recent singles.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.breindyandmatt.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/breindyandmatt/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/breindyandmatt/
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3qfQ8KHn47fYIwHP3CnTDw?si=9ryWe2_uS1iTzti8KeivGg
