Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Electric duo beaming out FM hits at age 18
Passionate musos discover success, writes TYLER ROODT
WHOEVER thinks 18 is too young for a career in music should have a chat with electro duo Legends and Reece le Roux.
Harshik Narshi, Evan Raffels and Le Roux are all aged 18 and from the southern suburbs. Narshi and Le Roux are matriculants of Wynberg Boys’ High and Raffels of Norman Henshilwood High.
The story of their rise to fame is rather unusual. They were considered outcasts and misfits in their school days, below-average students who constantly daydreamed and wondered if they were meant for greater things.
“We always knew that we had another purpose in life, rather than living life day-byday, hoping for something to come up,” said Narshi.
Music was their escape from reality. They decided they wanted to be musicians and dedicated every free second they had to making their dreams a reality. Narshi noted: “From a young age, all of us had the goal of being involved in music somehow.”
After they finished school, Le Roux studied sound engineering at the School of Audio Engineering (SAE) Institute and the Legends duo worked in retail to earn some money. They kept their dream alive by recording material and uploading it to Soundcloud.
Narshi and Raffels first met through Soundcloud. They exchanged messages, each praising the other’s ability. One thing led to another, and Legends was born. It wasn’t long after that Le Roux realised that his field of study was not teaching him what he wanted to know.
After hearing that an old friend from school was also an aspiring musician, Narshi introduced Le Roux to Raffels.
Their big break came when the three of them were interviewed by Sherlin Barends for Good Hope FM’s The Hype show. This was the turning point in their musical careers; only a few weeks later, Narshi and Raffels quit their jobs and Le Roux dropped out of college to pursue their ambitions.
The risk they took paid off. They signed on with Latched Entertainment and only three days later received their first pay cheque for producing and writing music. From then on, the hits just kept coming.
“It was a risk not many would take because of security,” said Narshi. “If you’re living life with the goal of being secure, then living your dreams often won’t happen.”
Their latest single, Energy, which features another musical wonder from Cape Town, Rowlene, was so well received that it aired on the FM stations Good Hope, Smile, 5 and Heart, where it’s now chasing the Top 40 charts.
The trio’s next radio single is called She Knows and will premiere on Heart FM today from 4-4.30pm.
“Our lives have changed phenomenally,” said Narshi. “Every moment, every achievement, every obstacle is a blessing.”
With a chart-topping track at only 18, these three truly deserve to be called “Legends”.