Ernestine Deane

Cape Flats-born Ernestine Deane is an unforgettable vocalist and lyricist inspired by her hybrid heritage, the stories of Cape Town, (South) Africa and the everyday human experience of love and life. This passionate African songstress shines on stage, delivering emotive performances that keep her audiences coming back for more.

‘Ernie’ (as she is affectionately called by her fans) has been active in the music industry for over 20 years. She started out as a singer for Cape Town hip-hop legends Black Noise, where she developed essential music business experience as a teenager, performing for dignitaries such as Nelson Mandela, at festivals and on various local TV shows such as ‘Jam Alley’. She went on to enjoy success as the lead vocalist of Moodphase5ive, holding number 1 on the P4/Heart FM charts with their track 'Uneek' for three weeks in April 2001, with consistent airplay of their various singles on national radio stations, SAMA nominations, and performances on TV and at various prestigious festivals such as the Cape Town International Jazz festival, Haarlem Jazz festival, Lowlands, Pukkelpop and Westerpop in Europe. She has been featured in various magazines and been the voice for several commercials, local and international documentaries and feature films, radio and TV shows.

In 2003, she wrote and narrated her biographical music documentary 'Brown', which won international awards for best African documentary in Milan, Zanzibar, Apollo and Durban film festivals. In 2004, she acted in the film 'Boy Called Twist', which appeared at the Cannes Film festival and also featured Ernestine's voice and original music on the soundtrack. In 2008, Ernie was selected to represent South Africa on a tour of the USA with 18 other international artists. In 2010, she was awarded a cultural grant from the National Arts Council of South Africa for her performance piece ‘White Paper Boats’, a poignant portrait of the history of slavery in Cape Town. That year she was also the vocalist for Mac Mckenzie's ‘Mama Goema Symphony no.1’, performed and recorded at the SABC.

In 2011, she relocated to Bavaria, Germany, where she was represented by Munich agency Delicious Tunes. In 2014, her song 'Think Again' made it into the finals of the international songwriting competitions Unsigned Only (USA) and Global Rockstar (Austria). She returned to Cape Town in 2014 after three years in Germany. In 2015, Ernie is set to release singles with DJ Malice and Kid Fonque (Soul Candi) and is recording a new album sponsored by Red Bull Music Studios. She was a guest speaker at the 2015 Cape Town Electronic Music Festival and a featured singer of the iconic South African poem 'Die Kind' for the Ingrid Jonker tribute album.

Photo by: Nadege Sanz