In a small village in Moutse, Limpopo, South Africa, a gifted group of singers called The Ndlovu Youth Choir recently left people in awe with their choir performance of Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You.”
You might have encountered them at the show, “America’s Got Talent” where they also gave a choir performance of “My African Dream”.
When a famous artist releases a beautiful hit single, the airwaves usually have it played daily, in multiple rotations.
Aside from this, it also becomes a staple choice for a song cover, with an attempt to make it sound like one’s own.
The very hard-to-please Simon Cowell praised them for their non-traditional take on the song. As well as for being a non-traditional choir, setting them apart from the choir performances that they have on the show.
The Ndlovu Youth Choir aims to give “an experience of infectious joy.” With their covers and choir performances, they make sure that they incorporate much of their culture, which makes them truly set apart from other traditional choirs.
This choir perfectly blends the traditional African sensibilities, to contemporary pop music. And with their recent take on Ed Sheeran’s hit classic, “Shape of You” once again, they did not fail to give what they’ve always promised.
With such a song choice, it’s difficult to imagine how it will be sung by a choir. But true enough, with just the first few seconds of the song, we already knew we were in for a treat.
Adding an extra element to the song is Grammy Award-winning flutist Wouter Kellerman whom we already see at the first few parts of the music video.
He’s happily dancing alone with the choir, as he gracefully plays his flute parts. This followed the lead vocal parts of singer Thulisile Masanabo, and much to our surprise, she retains the melodic lines of Ed Sheeran, except, she sings them in her native language.
The blend of the male and female voices, echoing and mingling perfectly. Wouter’s flute parts adds the much needed twist, making the performance an overall excellent piece.
“One of the most remarkable aspects of the Ndlovu Youth Choir is their ability to harmonize and provide their own background music. Apart from Wouter’s flute and the constant beat of a drum, all of the song’s melody is made with human voices. Each section sings a different part of the song, similar to how a cappella groups work.”
The Ndlovu Youth Choir definitely took it to another level when they turned this Ed Sheeran classic to a beautiful, and non-traditional choir performance. With covers, we know how they’re either a make or break.
If you turn an original song as something as your own with your unique way, sometimes the cover becomes even more highlighted than the original song. With the Ndlovu Youth Choir they definitely did a great job.
Watch the video below to see the outstanding performance of The Ndlovu Youth Choir as they sing they Ed Sheeran Classic, “Shape of You.”