Jo Black

The legendary Afrikaans superstar with the big beard who needs no introduction, Jo Black, is headed to The Bay this festive season where he will perform for his fans at The Boardwalk on 17 December.

With 8-million YouTube views, 7 Ghoema awards, 300 shows in 2017, and a name that really sticks, he is one of South Africa’s most recognised performers. Born in Pretoria North, Jo Engelbrecht (his real name) grew up here and started working straight after school. He ran his own construction company for approximately eight years, building everything from roads and bridges, to hospitals and houses.

“I soon realised that there is more to life than just work and things took a drastic turn for me,” he tells humbly.

His music career took flight in 2017 and has been an absolutely raging success ever since. The bearded man became the symbol of hope and high on public demand has performed more than 300 shows in 2017. His debut album Skepe took the industry by storm and got honoured with a record number of KykNET Ghoema awards. The seven awards he scooped include Best Newcomer, Best Album of the Year and Best Digital Seller of the Year to name but a few.

His three music videos surpassed the mark of 8 million views on YouTube and Jo also made his debut on the big screen with his cameo role in the Afrikaans box office hit – Susters. Jo has left an indelible mark on the South African music industry, almost as if having been touched by grace which makes the name of his brand new album Voel jy die Genade (Can you feel the grace) a very appropriate one.

Jo’s single, also titled “Voel Jy Die Genade”, was recently released to much acclaim. An instant hit, the music video has already reached 150 000 hits on YouTube and reached the number one spot on iTunes SA and several radio stations in just three days – the single is upbeat and inspirational and offers a glimpse of what the rest of the album offers. Jo says: “I poured my heart and soul into this album. I worked incredibly hard on this project and hope that it will inspire those who listen to it, as it inspired me while I was creating it.”

The album offers Jo’s unique blend of faith, hope and love, and not only reflects his career to date, but also how much there is to be grateful for. It contains a variety of tracks visitors to Boardwalk this December can look forward to singing and tapping along to including his heartfelt rendition of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah”, “Spring”, and many others.

Jo’s talent stretches beyond just singing. Wanting to empower people to be the best version of themselves, Jo also launched the “Be That Guy” movement. The movement, which took off instantly and became an overnight success still grows daily and sees Jo delivering his uplifting, inspirational talks at venues throughout South Africa.

There are few who are able to touch and hearts and minds like this phenomenal artist with his signature brand of positive thinking. He believes that “Be That Guy” is what society needs – a movement for positive change. A movement that encourages people to care, to look out for each other, and to help create the change that they want to see in the world.

Gather all your friends and family and head to the Boardwalk’s Amphitheatre for top-class inspiring entertainment by one of South Africa’s greatest Afrikaans rock artists. Tickets cost from R130 per person and are available from Westway. The show starts at 19h30.