One Republic – Cape Town

When my mum told me she’d booked tickets for One Republic’s Nov 2022 Cape Town show, I was like, “nah….!”.  The thought of a road trip to Cape Town and the chance to miss three days of school over exams won me over.

We booked into an Air BnB in Bo-kaap, a unique suburb close to the city centre but up on the slopes of Lions hill. Bo-Kaap is known for its brightly coloured homes and cobble-stoned streets. The area is traditionally a multicultural neighbourhood, and 56.9% of its population identifies as Muslim.

Our accommodation was artistically decorated, and the mix of wooden floors,  pigeon schools flapping over our balcony, and the eastern sounds of the next-door Mosque inspired my Dad and me to work on my first long music video.

Playing my guitar also got me into the mood for the concert, being held at Grand Casino. The concert was a sell-out, and this increased the sense of excitement.  I wasn’t sure what to expect, not knowing much about One Republic. Their music is pure pop, which isn’t a genre I know.  However, the mood in the arena and the incredible stage presence of Ryan Tedder got my attention.  I was amazed at Ryan’s energy and learned that he wrote most of the music for his band and other big names such as Beyonce and Taylor Swift. Ryan was amazing on the piano, and I learned how important it is to play the piano if you want to write songs successfully. That gave me a lot to think about…

It was also fun to do a few other things with mum and dad around Cape Town, especially as I knew my friends were writing exams. It wasn’t so much fun when I returned to school, though!

One of my favourite restaurants was Grand Beach, as it’s right on the waterfront and we did a little photo shoot so I hope you enjoy the images. Me as an angel (not)!