Iconic South Africans: Laurika Rauch
by Sheldon Rocha Leal
There are stars and then there are legends and Laurika Rauch falls into the latter category more so than the former, although she is both. In this article I will reflect on my story of the living legend and South African national treasure. People often say that one should never meet their idols, as they will be sorely disappointed. I can safely say, however, that was not the case in my experience when meeting the Order of Inkhamanga recipient.
My parents had just landed in the country, from Europe, when Laurika became a national icon. Therefore, as a son of immigrants, it was highly unlikely I would ever have listened to or discovered an artist of her ilk, as she sings mainly in Afrikaans (an indigenous South African language). My parents barely spoke English, so Afrikaans was a long stretch, yet I discovered Laurika in my early musical explorations and loved her low resonant voice and the melodies of her beautiful songs. My fascination with the star made me research her, her music and origins more deeply. So who is she?
Laurika was born on the 1st of November 1950 in Pinelands, Cape Town. Her father was a public relations manager at Old Mutual and mother was a social worker and editor of “Die Huisevrou”. She started her music studies at the age of 5, playing piano and sang in a regional choir. She took Music as one of her core subjects in the senior phase of her schooling, majoring in Piano, matriculating from Jan Van Riebeeck High School, having attained a Grade 8 level in piano playing from UNISA (University of South Africa). As with many music scholars who start studying music from a young age, by the time she entered university she decided to explore an alternate art-form and study path. In 1972 she graduated from Stellenbosch University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Dramatic Arts.
She started working as an Afrikaans teacher at Roggebaai Training College, between 1972–74, whilst also completing her Higher Diploma in Education at UNISA. In 1974 Laurika moved to Melville in Johannesburg, the entertainment capital of the country, initially working as an actress at PACT (Performing Arts Council of the Transvaal), performing prescribed works to high school pupils. At the time each province in South Africa had their own performing arts council, which employed a variety of artists on salary (Costume designers, musicians, actors, artists, dancers etc…).
Her contract at PACT terminated in 1976 at which point she took a part-time teaching position at Riverlea High School, whilst also working as a voice-over artist, waitress at Mike’s Kitchen in Greenside and occasional music performer. Her voice-over work involved recording Afrikaans dialogue dubbed over English/Dutch/German content brought in from overseas. She started acquiring a good reputation amongst people from the theater world and individuals with whom she worked at the SABC (South African Broadcast Corporation), getting booked for more consistent gigs.
In 1978 she was offered a part-time teaching position at Sandown High School in Sandton, which eventually became a full-time post in 1979. Whilst this was happening Laurika was discovered by Katinka Heyns and her husband Chris Barnard, at the Mikes Kitchen at which she worked. She had been recommended to be the singing voice of the lead actress for a new television series, by that lead actress herself, Jana Cilliers. The television series was “Phoenix En Kie” and the song was “Kinders Van Die Wind”. But Laurika thought nothing of it, as she did this type of session work on a regular basis, so when she eventually accepted a full-time post at Sandown High School, she didn’t realise that her music career was about to take off.
After the TV series was aired, the song became a national hit, Laurika became a household name and needed to decide whether she was going to continue her career as a teacher or pursue her passion as a singer. She decided on the latter, securing a recording deal and embarking on a national tour with another South African legend Anton Goosen. She felt bad about abandoning her teaching job, but thought that if the singing thing didn’t work out she would return to teaching, initially only applying for teaching leave. Fortunately that was never a decision she needed to make as her career took off and not only did she have immediate success, she also secured long term career stability and respectability, becoming a national hero.
In 1984 Laurika met the love of her life, Christopher Torr, who was an economics lecturer. They eventually married and fortuitously he also dabbled in music and went on to write many of her biggest hits. Prior to Laurika Rauch’s success many Afrikaans artists made a living translating songs that had been previously made famous in other countries, especially Germany and Holland, into the South African tongue. With the success she attained she opened the door to many Afrikaans artists who wanted to convey authentically South African stories/narratives and for that reason she is considered one of the leaders of “Die Nuwe Afrikaanse Lied”. Other artists who are part of this movement, and her contemporaries, include Anton Goosen, Koos Du Plessis, Louis van Rensburg, Lucas Maree and Coenie De Villiers.
Over the years she has released 26 albums and sold hundreds of thousands of records. For her amazing contributions she has been recognised by various bodies and has accumulated a plethora of awards including: 5 GOEMAS, a SAMA, a SARIE and a Huisegenoot Lifetime Achievement award. In 2016 she was honoured with the Order of the Ikhamanga (in Silver) by President Jacob Zuma. This is the highest honour awarded by the South African government to an artist, and was conferred on her for her contribution to South African music and activism.
My interaction with the legend only happened many years after she became a national hero. As a kid “Kinders Van Die Wind” was one of my favorite songs. I didn’t know what it meant, but I loved the melody, the voice and the rhythm of the track, and that’s what makes music such a universal language. For me, at least, as long as the melody is on point, I don’t care what language it’s written in or even the message, for that matter. I mostly don’t even listen to the lyrics of a song, and rather focus on the melody, rhythm, instrumentation, progressions and orchestration. So for me, “Kinders Van Die Wind” was a winner and the singer even more so.
In about 2006 one of my students asked me what I wanted for my birthday and I told her all I wanted was a Laurika Rauch album. For that birthday my wish was granted and I fell in love with the singer all over again. The soulful, sultry, low frequencies on the album, were exactly what my soul required at the time. Fast forward to 2008, I was in the process of opening up a music school in Irene (Southdowns Academy of Music) when I had my first brush with the legend. I discovered that she lived in the area in which I was opening the school. Furthermore, two of my colleagues, Devereaux van der Hoven and Fanie Fouché, had previously worked with the chanteuse. When this news came to my attention I asked my colleagues if they would facilitate an encounter. Devereaux graciously gave me Laurika’s contact details and I proceeded to send her an email introducing myself and enquiring if she would make an appearance at the school and give my students a motivational talk. I received a very warm response, but because of scheduling issues and my reticence to impose on her, nothing ever materialised.
It would be another 3 years before I got to meet her, in person this time. In 2011 Devereaux invited me to the opening of the Atterbury Theatre in Pretoria, and guess who had been invited as a guest of honour: Laurika Rauch. I was blown away…there she was, my childhood hero. People often say that you shouldn’t meet your childhood heroes, as they will disappoint you, and this is mostly true. I have met many of my childhood heroes, to whom I won’t even give the time of day. At the event I went up to Devereaux and asked her if she could introduce me to Laurika. She responded by saying, “just go up to her and introduce yourself”. I responded by saying that there was no way I would have the courage to go up to the star. Devereaux facilitated an encounter and I was starstruck, our chat was short but impactful and she remembered the email I sent her 3 years prior.
It would be another 6 years before our paths crossed again…In 2015 I embarked on one of the most arduous journeys of my life, the completion of a PhD. The study was about music education and the music business and right from the get go I had decided I wanted to interview two iconic South African musicians: Yvonne Chaka Chaka and Laurika Rauch (both Order of the Ikhamanga recipients). I wanted the perspective of two individuals who had shifted social consciousness through their music, individuals who were able, through song, to shift popular culture. For me there were no better ambassadors of that ideal than Yvonne and Laurika, individuals who were able to cross racial and genre lines to convey their message to a mass population, ultimately influencing popular culture trends.
In my study I had two stakeholder groups, with Yvonne being part of the first group and Laurika intended for the second group. I conducted my interview with Yvonne Chaka Chaka in 2016 and I was pleasantly surprised. She had also been one of my childhood heroes, to whom I had been introduced by one of my friends, and iconic backing vocalist Tessa Niles. Yvonne is a consummate professional and lady. She was on time for our interview, gracious, has immense presence and poise and even granted me more time than I had requested. I can totally get how someone like her can become a legend.
The roll out of interviews for my second set of stakeholders occurred a year later in 2017. Although, I had intended to interview Laurika, I allowed people around me to influence my choice of icon for the second stakeholder group. The person people said I should interview was another 1980s recording artist, who attained major popular music dominance at the time and was someone I really admired. Now this was one of those times when one should not meet one’s childhood heroes. We had a few telephonic interactions and the “celebrity” was vile, unprofessional and I decided that I would never give them any air time post our interactions… and I never have. I have even been asked to speak about this artist on various occasions in the media and I refuse to do so, even though I comprehend the value this person has added to the advancement of the music business in South Africa. It’s a real shame when one uses one’s success and fame to mask insecurity and bad behaviour. This person delayed my plans resulting in a possible crisis: my scholarship was terminating in a few months and I only had one interview left to complete my study. The biggest problem was that instead rejecting my request for an interview from the outset the celebrity strung me along until November and then ghosted me. There was, therefore, very little time left before the end of the year, the completion of my studies and scholarship. I was in a quandary.
Laurika was still an option, but I had not initially contacted her because I was so intimated by her fame and success, and did not want to impose. Psychologically I also didn’t want to be disappointed by yet another one of my childhood heroes, furthermore my interaction with the previous star knocked my confidence and I was doubtful Laurika would even grant me an interview. Anyway, I had nothing and everything to lose, so I contacted Devereaux and asked if she didn’t mind asking Laurika if it was fine if I contacted her to ask if I could request an interview. Devereaux got back to me and said I could call her and that Laurika had agreed to do the interview. But after my last interaction, I was doubtful that it would really happen. The day I called Laurika, I was beyond myself with nerves: this was one of my childhood heroes, I couldn’t get rejected again, I just didn’t have the time for another attempt, and what would I do if she rejected me, I was out of ideas.
I got Laurika on the phone…She remembered my name, my school and our previous interactions. I was shocked, I am no one and here’s this national treasure who remembered who I was. She was super gracious and told me she was going on holiday and would be back in Johannesburg between Christmas and New Year and would gladly do the interview at that point. This was great news, but I had already booked my flights for my holiday and I would be away at the time she was available. But I told her I would see her on her available date: 29 December 2017. I hurriedly changed my holiday arrangements to avail myself for one of the most important interviews of my life. But, if she did to me what the previous celebrity had done, with the interview set for the 29th of December, I would be in big trouble and may not be able to complete my study.
On the 28th of December I flew back to Johannesburg and the next day drove to Laurika’s gated community, where an appointment had been made at the estate’s clubhouse. I got to the venue early and poised myself for Laurika’s arrival. I was petrified. At 11:00am on the dot Laurika walked through the front door, like a goddess, swept through the restaurant and walked over to where I was sitting. I was awestruck. I had requested for a one hour interview, but we got to talking and before we knew it, it was 2pm (3 hours later). She told me many things about her personal life, career and was vulnerable in the interview. Many of the things that were discussed, although pertinent to my study, I did not publish in order to protect the sanctity of our interaction. I walked away from the encounter moved, inspired and in greater awe of this phenomenal woman. She truly deserves the title of National Treasure. She was professional, endearing, charismatic, intelligent and everything in balance.
Walking away from that encounter salvaged my belief in human kind. Laurika showed me that there are good people out there that are willing to help wherever they can. She also showed me that celebrity and successful people can be kind and embracing and that although she didn’t have all the answers she was graceful enough to be honest when she didn’t know something, instead of gaslighting. I was inspired, awestruck and gained a whole new level respect for the iconic singer. Grace, charisma, talent, intelligence and professionalism are all words that Laurika personifies.
She is a representation of the fact that anyone can be anything they set their mind to, as long as they are willing to invest in their dream. All in all, Laurika is an icon, legend and the voice of a generation. Thanks to stars like her many doors were opened for many artists and music business leaders. For that there are many people who owe her a debt of gratitude and hopefully she will continue to be esteemed for the advancements she made. Laurika “die stem van die nuwe Afrikaanse lied”, thank you…
