Tuesday, 13 December 2011

Round Up - Alexandra Snyman & 3 Flights Up

Season 2 has tackled some serious themes and also highlighted some incredible talent!!! We have had some great feedback from viewers!

A message like this that was sent to us really gives God all the glory:
"Thank you so much for the episode you did on failure. It feels like my prayers has finally been answered! Really needed to hear those words!! May God bless your show even more, as you are touching our lives with the messages you bring us. :) " - Geraldine


INTRODUCING THE BEAUTIFUL ALEXANDRA SNYMAN


Alexandra Snyman started her musical journey at theage of 8, entering both the National Eisteddfod and South African Championshipof Performing Arts in 2006. Within the space of 3 years she reached the highestrung on the achievement-ladder that these prestigious vocal competitions had tooffer. She was crowned both Junior and Senior Overall Vocal Champion at theNational Eisteddfod (a competition that draws over 10 000 entrants annually)and in the same years achieved the honours of Vocal Grand Champion at the SouthAfrican Championships of Performing Arts (2010 and 2011). Previously, in 2009,she was crowned with the Triple Threat Trophy (for Gold Medals in Vocals, Dramaand Modelling) at SACOPA.

Born in Durban in 1996 she relocated as a threeyear old with her family to Johannesburg. After showing much promise in theworld of the performing arts her parents decided to take Alexandra out ofmainstream schooling and placed her into a small independent school, ChartwellCountry College. The size of the classes and the personal attention that shewas afforded in this farm-school setting allowed her to both keep up with heracademic studies and pursue a rigorous training and performance schedule.
Katie Pennington-Rimmer was Alexandra’s first vocalcoach and after her relocation to the USA, Alexandra received training from twodiverse, but equally dedicated coaches, Desiree van der Walt (contemporary) andJune Kraus (classical). Under their expert guidance Alexandra’s repertoire grewto include contemporary, crossover and operatic pieces. This diversity hasallowed her entry into a wide and growing audience. Teaming up with her sister,Isabella, the duo has been blessed to perform at various levels, includingcorporate, social and local government functions. Their singing has won over aFacebook fan base of over 3500 so far.
In February 2006, just before her first SACOPAcompetition, Alexandra’s drama teacher, Jill Avis, gave her a laminated sheetwith the following words typed onto it:”You are not a performer unless you makethe audience feel something”. Raised in a God-fearing household, Alexandra hascome to understand the challenges and responsibilities that such a mottobrings. She had it pasted up on her bedroom wall for many years, using it asinspiration when choosing songs and preparing for performances, believing thatan achievement is hollow unless she had remained true to God and true toherself, making every performance believable and one of conviction.
Every year has brought its highlights in this 15year old’s short but illustrious performance-career so far. In 2010, Alexandra,after a rigorous elimination process, had the honour of singing at one of theofficial FIFA Fanfests and in 2011 she has been invited to perform two classicalarias with the Johannesburg Symphony Orchestra in November. She has alsosuccessfully auditioned to play the lead role in “Beauty and the Beast” in the People’sTheatre production at the Civic during November and December.
Alexandra is currently working on her ownproductions and a CD launch is planned for the near future.

INTRODUCING 3 FLIGHTS UP FROM UITENHAGE IN THE EASTERN CAPE

Joe Suti - Bass

Vince Swanepoel- Lead Vocals & Guitar
Lourens “Mike” Müller - Drums

3 Flights Up comesfrom the small town of Uitenhage, about 40km outside of Port Elizabeth in theEastern Cape. The band consists of Vince Swanepoel- Lead Vocals & Guitar,Joe Suti- Bass & BGV’s and Lourens “Mike” Müller- Drums.

3FU formed when Vince approached histwo friends to enter a Battleof the Bands for the fun of it. On the last day of entering the competition, 3Flights Up, ‘officially’ became a band.
Vince, Joe and Mikehad all played together for about 3 years in the same church band and so werealready comfortable playing together. Three weeks of practice led up to theirfirst performance on stage and the boys proved to have something more than justbeing able to play together. 3FU went on to win that competition and severalothers over the years and decided to try and make something with their newsound.

Ironically though, Vincentcontracted Keinbock’s Disease which caused the bones in his wrist to begindisintegrating. Due to this 3FU needed to take a break from live performancesand in an attempt to stay creative while Vincent underwent treatment andrecovery they have recorded several demos, won some more competitions andpracticed their recording skills from their modest home studio.
After another operation, this timeto fix Vincent’s broken nose, the boys have begun practicing hard again andwriting new material which they will be recording in their makeshift studio andhopefully performing and getting out to the public in 2011/2012. They haverecently completed their first music video for the original song ‘How I Learnedto Fly’ which is already featured on several DSTV channels and their website –3flightsup.com – will be online shortly. Their music has gathered a lot oflocal play in the Eastern Capeand has even been featured on national stations where a great response to theirmusic was received.
They have played on stage with thelikes of Mean Mr. Mustard, Willem Welsyn & the Sunrise Toffees, Evolver One,Kurt Darren and Watershed.
Their music can bedescribed as Hope-Filled lyrics based on a driving drum and bass foundation,powerful guitar melodies and sensational vocals.
Their love is music, their passionis to perform, and their desire is that He moves you!

Wednesday, 30 November 2011

SEASON 2 IS HERE!!

SEASON 2 HAS KICKED OFF!! DONT FORGET TO TUNE IN...


Mondays at 5pm (K'Nect) and 5:30pm (Southern starz) with a repeat on Tuesdays from 9 -10am and then a repeat on Sundays at 9-10am. ONLY ON ONE Gospel (Channel 331 - DSTV)


We want to hear from you!! Comment on our Facebook Page. We want to hear from you!!



YOU voted, and this week we had Crystal Clear perform, what did you think of his talent?


Miss KLT & Bonga 'Crystal Clear'



Monday, 31 October 2011

New Oslo Gospel Choir Release Inspired by South Africa Feat. Courtney & Loyiso




Integrity Media Africa is excited to announce the brand new album from the Oslo Gospel Choir, titled Stay Amazed. Local stars Loyiso Bala and Courtney Jonas were chosen to capture the essence of South Africa on the album which is set to be another ground-breaking release, a 15 track artful blend of sounds and language.

The Managing Director of Integrity Media Africa, Nurden Cross is delighted with this new project "From the moment I first encountered the Oslo Gospel Choir in 2007 I have loved their unique sound. Stay Amazed is a studio project that contains great hints of Africa as it pre-empts their tour to South Africa next year. This is a dream come true for the choir as they love the unique sounds of Africa, and Africa loves the sound of choirs, so, in my opinion, this project has to be partnership made in heaven!" 


 Kari Jobe, Paul Baloche and Chris Tomlin, are just a few of the contributing songwriters on Stay Amazed. With songs such as ‘I’m singing’, ‘Above All’, ‘Create in me a pure heart’ and ‘Bambelela’, the lyrics are honest and descriptive, expressing a manifold of emotions.
Bala and Jonas spent a week in Norway this past August recording as headline artists on the latest delivery from one Europe’s most successful choirs. This is a huge honor as musical legends such as Andrae Crouch, Pat Boone, Neil Sedaka, and Princess Märtha Louise of Norway have performed on their albums in the past. In just 3 months from recording, Stay Amazed is ready, marking the choirs twenty-ninth album release.


Bala has always had a love for the choir arrangement, and spent his early years singing in the world famous Drakensburg Boys Choir. Adding to a long list of accolades and notable performances was Bala’s show alongside Alicia Keys, Shakira, the Black Eyed Peas and John Legend at the FIFA World Cup Kick-Off celebration concert at Soweto’s 30,000 capacity Orlando Stadium. Ex-presidents, business and TV moguls like Nelson Mandela, Richard Branson, Gordon Brown, Bill Clinton and Oprah Winfrey are just some of the public figures that Bala has been invited to perform for.


This October Courtney Jonas toured South Africa with one of the founding fathers of modern worship Brian Doerksen (Canada). Jonas performed as a guest lead vocalist at Doerksen’s live shows. The 22 year old singer, songwriter rose to fame with her performances on the hit shows ‘High School Musical’ and ‘Evita’ as well as the presenter and performer on the teen music show ‘iShine Southern Starz’.


Since the Oslo Gospel Choir’s conception in 1988, the choir has performed more than 1000 live shows, and have sold in excess of 1.5 million albums globally. Between the years of 1990 and 2000, the choir became the highest selling artists in Norway, topping album sales of Michael Jackson. The thirty-two piece choirs appeal has successfully transcended age, race and gender.


The Stay Amazed CD will be on sale throughout South Africa in November, in time for the Christmas period. The Oslo Gospel Choir will be touring South Africa in the New Year, where visuals of South Africa will be captured and a Live DVD of Stay Amazed will be born. More details to follow.

iShine Southern Starz CD Review


Connell Cruise in The Citizen Newspaper


Thursday, 20 October 2011

Courtney Loves Cupcakes


When scouting for a great venue for Courtney Jonas to film her sermonettes, the first thing that came to mind was cupcakes and milkshakes. For those who know Courts, she loves all things girly! yup, she has a teeny tiny Chihuahua named Bella-Starlet, she loves cupcakes, always wears dresses, drinks pink milkshakes, has a pink Blackberry as well as a bright pink iPad (which she can't put down)... oh, and Bella-Starlet wears pink too...


I stole this pic from her FB page :)


I came across the gorgeous Succulent Cafe on 14th Avenue in Northcliff and fell in love with it. The bonus being it had Courtney's name written all over it and it HAD to be the setting for her sermonettes. 


The wonderful team at Succulent Cafe were extremely delighted to have us shoot at thir decadent cafe. Thank you to Cindy and Stella for hosting our team, we are all in love with your spot!


Here are some pics of Courts recording her sermonettes for iShine Season 2 that will air in Dec 2011 on One Gospel, Channel 331.












Monday, 17 October 2011

Season 2's Dynamic Youth Pastors

iShine Southern Starz Season 2 is in it's final preparation stages, and it is set to be 10 times bigger and better than Season 1. We have a brand new insert where we have chosen 5  inspirational youth pastors from around Gauteng to chat to the audience about their bible based take on each topic weekly. From dating to drugs, we discuss extremely important topics that we all are exposed to.

Thank you to these wonderful guys for their time and profound messages. They are the real deal, walking talking Christians, it's no wonder they lead dynamic youth groups.

The crew were blown away by their humour and wisdom and cannot wait to share the footage when Season 2 airs in December 2011. You will be moved!

iShine Southern Starz would like to introduce...





Murendeni Nefale from Vereeniging Baptist











Barry Brokensha from Wilrow Park Baptist



Saturday, 8 October 2011

iShine Southern Starz Season 2 filming


Hey guys!
What an amazing week this has been! We are busy filming iShine Southern Starz which will be aired on DSTV channel 331, One Gospel from December 2011!
Tomorrow we will be filming our performances and I cant wait, it's gonna be such awesome fun!:-)
I cant wait to hear what you guys think of Season 2! I truly believe its gonna blow your minds and you not gonna be able to keep your eyes off the TV screen!:-)
Here is a pic of me filming my sermonettes on Tuesday for iShine Southern Starz Season 2!
Much love,
Courts.xx

Thursday, 29 September 2011

We Shine!



Hey iShiners! (As Courtney usually labels you)
What a weekend! We were drawn to the beautiful and busy city of Jo'burg with it's beautiful houses, gardens, music and recycled water;) Haha! While we were there, I got some time to think about what it means to S H I N E for God's kingdom... Let's move in on the details..

G O D LOVES Y O U! = Not only does He want you to know that, He wants you to show and reveal that to other people around you as well. THAT is why it is SO extremely important for us to shine! We don't shine to impress the people around us or to make them worship us, but to praise our Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ.

To shine is truly a hard and complicated task. It takes years to be fulfilled and even then, we still struggle at times. Fortunately we do have a roll model to look up to:) Can you remember a day in your life when you asked yourself: Why am I so different? It is because of God's light shining in us and using us to reach others:) We are simply the instruments and He is the musician! Amen! That is why we all have a different purpose but stay one big family because of God living in us. Try and work harder to shine and to shine your light in the darkest nights, because THAT is when people see it the clearest!
God bless and keep shining! xx
Much love,
Shanna*

Monday, 26 September 2011

iShine Southern Starz TOP 14 (VOTE NOW)

TOP 14:
Alexandra Snyman
Carlito
Cristil Clear
Eon
Hudson Freeman
Isabella Snyman
Jose Crosson
KentZeedo
Kevin K-man Beukes
Lizette & Claudia
Melanie Molton
Stefan Green
3 Flights Up
Tswi

The top 14 have been chosen by the iShine judges, and the final 7 will be chosen by the public. The more likes on the videos loaded on this event page will determine who performs on Season 2. VOTING CLOSES AT MIDNIGHT ON SUNDAY 2 OCTOBER 2011.

Winners need to be available on Sunday 9th October 2011 in Johannesburg.

***Sponsors and Contest Parties shall not be liable for any travel and accommodation costs related thereto, or any use of Entry***

Click On Image below to Vote for your TOP 7!


Sunday, 25 September 2011

Hey iShiners!


Hey iShiners!

WOW! What an incredible week in JHB! I had such a blast! We were at Little Falls Church, then had an amazing album launch at The World of Yamaha, we then jotted off to judge and sing at a national Gospel event and then ran to Pretoria, (ok not literally ran, LOL!!) to sing at Designed2Shine which was such a blessing! I got to connect with such amazing people and see the purity, love and enthusiasm in kids eyes. It was truly eye-opening for me to see how loving and amazing kids are and we can learn so much from them, I truly did!:-)
So I am now in CPT for our iShine Southern Starz album launch here in the mother-city on Tuesday, 26th Setember 2011. Im so excited and cant wait anymore!:-)
I really hope to see you all there and meet you ALL in person and connect with you:-)

Love you all and thanks for shining and being bright stars for God! Together we will show the world Gods love and the good side of life!:-) Cause we living the GOOD life with HIM in our hearts!:-)

Much love,
Courts.

Thursday, 22 September 2011

IShine Southern Starz album launch


Hey guys!
WOW what an awesome album launch!!:-) Our album was so well received and I had a blast! It was so anointed and you could feel Gods presence in the building!:-)
It was so nice to connect with everyone after the show and hear what they thought of the launch! If you missed our JHB launch then don't worry, you can catch us in CPT on the 26th of September 2011, you can check out our fb page for more details and you can get your hands on our brand new album in stores from the 23rd of September.
Love ya guys and see you at all our shows and back on One Gospel in December! Season 2 of iShine Southern Starz is gonna blow your minds!:-)
Much love,
Courts.

Sunday, 11 September 2011

Can you say EUROPE

Hey guys!
WOW! Its been a while since we last spoke and the awesome news is that I have so much news for u! I just got back from Europe to record the vocals with Loyiso Bala for the new Oslo Gospel Choir album and wow was that alot of fun! I cant wait for the album to be released so you can get your hands on it cause its gonna blow your socks right off your feet! It was such an honor to work with such talented people and tour Europe! I LOVE touring so it was the best of both worlds! Its so awesome to go across the world and experience so many different cultures and taste every countries specialty. Like in Holland we had peanut butter sauce, LOTS of peanut butter sauce.. and in Norway I had SOOOO much candy, for some reason, the candy in Norway is so good! LOL! but i have the biggest sweet tooth so maybe thats why:-)

It's good to be back home as South Africa is such a lovely country and I can truly say I'm proudly South African!:-)

So our iShine Album launch is coming up soon, how exciting is that? So after all your patience testing times you'll finally be able to get your hands on our iShine Southern Starz compilation album and may I just say its sounding fab!:-) So I know you'll love it and truly be blessed as you can feel God's presence and anointing on it:-)

Love you guys tons and check in soon!!
Dont forget to get in touch with me on my FB page. Just add "Courtney Jonas" as a friend. I'd love to connect with you!:-)

Much love,
Courtney.

Thursday, 8 September 2011

In the meantime...

What's happening?!

Over this side we're just getting ready to start up iShine Southern Starz- SEASON 2

Man- we've got such an awesome line up for this second season... I just know it's gonna blow your mind (in a good way;)

Since iShine Season 1 finished up we've been chilling out and writing music; Courtney went off to record in Europe and I... I got cast in my first movie :D

Now, I can't give away too many details yet but... Just for you guys... I've uploaded some behind-the-scenes action of the first day's shoot, check it out :)






Until next time... keep on doing whatever you're doing in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ - do it as if you're doing it for Him - being grateful to the Father every step of the way (Col 3:17).

Whether you're in a different country or on a movie set, at school, at home or even on facebook...
shine for Jesus 

You stay classy iShine ;)



iSHINE CD LAUNCH - BOOK YOUR SEAT TODAY !

Behind The Scenes with Connell Cruise

iShine presenter Connell Cruise was hard at work recording his very own songs 'Save Me' and 'So Small' as well as 'We Shine', that was originally sung by Fee for the iShine Southern Starz CD, Volume 1.

Cruise got some really hot South African musos to collaborate on his recordings. Raymond Green was on guitar, Dave Nilsson on drums, Adam Taylor on bass and Andrew Baird as producer.

Here's some fab pics from his time in the studio, The album will be out on the 23rd September 2011. The songs are HOT!









Courtney's Oslo Travel Diary

In August Courtney Jonas jetted off to Olso in Norway with Loyiso Bala to record a new album titled 'Live in Africa'. This will be the latest release from the world renown 'Oslo Gospel Choir'. Here's some awesome pics of their trip. The album will launch in October 2011.



















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