South African musician Nic Stevens is known for his 2006 hit song, arguably now known as the unofficial anthem of Stellenbosch University, Dis Altyd Lente. Lesser known by his real name, Stephan Snyman joins MatieMedia’s Jessica Hillier to discuss his music, the unfolding of his career and the song’s unexpected success.
As the youngest of three boys born into a musically-talented family, Nic Stevens always loved music growing up. He recalls always knowing that he would end up doing something in music.
Nic Stevens says that he would call his one year of studying in Stellenbosch his ‘gap year’, because it allowed him to figure out that performing music was what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. “After that year I started gigging and I got so much more confident,” he says. “I loved the idea of it, but I never thought it would really happen for me.” PHOTO: Jessica Hillier
“[My father] gave us the love for music that we have. He started us at a very young age – all three of us – with piano lessons, guitar lessons, teaching us himself,” says Nic.
His father was professionally trained in piano and wrote many songs alongside jazz musician Charles Segal. “Basically, we’re living his dream. It all started with him.”
Nic’s older brothers, Christo and Cobus (with whom today he performs in a trio called Die Broers, in addition to his solo gigs), were real musicians from a young age. He recounts how they performed together for school plays and talent shows and made tapes which they distributed to all their family members.
Basically, we’re living my father’s dream. It all started with him.
“I was in the choir, but I never thought that I could really sing,” says Nic, who is classically trained. He explains that he too would perform in the talent shows and sign up for eisteddfods, but stuck to playing the piano or guitar.
“I loved singing, but at that time, I never had the self-confidence.”
His brothers started recording albums as the duo Christo en Cobus after they got a record deal with Sony, “BMG in those days”, he adds. Nic remained behind the scenes. Having obtained his UNISA grade 8 in piano, he did all their musical arrangements, but never joined them on stage.
The plan was for Nic to join his brothers after he finished high school, but he decided to first finish his studies. While his brothers studied, they were doing gigs at the same time.
There was a stage where Die Broers performed at ANC political conferences, Nic Stevens says, pointing to a picture, mounted on the wall of his pre-production studio, of himself with his two brothers, Christo and Cobus Snyman, and South Africa’s former president, Jacob Zuma. “Perhaps not our proudest moment in retrospect,” he laughs. “But still, it was very cool to be able to meet and perform for the president. And he quite liked us!” PHOTO: Jessica Hillier
“Then, they started doing supporting acts for guys like Bles Bridges, Steve Hofmeyr… They started really making a name for themselves. So, they actually made it a little bit easier for me; I started following in their footsteps,” Nic says.
It’s like breathing. I need to perform. You can’t live without air.
Yet, Cobus Snyman says he remains inspired by how much his younger brother has been able to achieve on his own.
“He really came from nothing. I mean, we didn’t help him that much,” Cobus laughs. “He opened up his career all on his own, and it’s just an incredible honour to be able to perform alongside him.”
The three brothers each have a definitive strong suit, says Stevens. Christo is a “marketing genius” and Cobus is the technical one “who spends days in the studio”. Nic reckons he brings the creativity to the table when it comes to writing and composing.
“He’s got an absolutely incredible ear and he just understands a melody like nobody else. He writes the most beautiful melodies,” says Christo about his little brother.
Becoming Nic Stevens
Nic says the story behind his famous stage name stems from his initial plan to solely produce music in English.
There’s no way to say it in English – ek bry, rrrrr!
“There’s no way to say it in English – ek bry, rrrrr,” Nic smiles. “My r is not ‘correct’ so when I started singing, I never sang in Afrikaans, because it sounded funny to me.”
Nic Stevens explains that one of the highlights of his career was when he was able to perform with his brothers, Christo and Cobus Snyman, during the International Rugby Board’s 3-nation matches between New Zealand, Australia, and South Africa. They performed the South African national anthem before three of the matches. In the above image, Stevens stands alongside his brothers and members of the 2009 South African team: Victor Matfield, Bakkies Botha, Jannie du Plessis, Tendai Mtawarira and John Smit. PHOTO: Facebook/Nic Stevens
However, he produced a fully English album in 1998 that he was ready to perform at his first music festival. And with that festival being Aardklop, in Potchefstroom, he says that, naturally, he felt somewhat obligated to sing at least one Afrikaans song at an Afrikaans music festival.
He performed a cover of artist Dozi’s Ou Ryperd, and “then the rrrrr actually worked for me!” he laughs. “And then I decided to go over into Afrikaans.”
Because his first album was English, his brothers had told him that Stephan Snyman didn’t really seem like a name which suited the English genre very well.
“So, we took my full name, which is Nicolaas Stephanus, and made that Nic Stevens.” With the move to Afrikaans music, Nic says the name was already there and “it just stuck”, so they decided to keep it.
So, we took my full name, which is Nicolaas Stephanus, and made that Nic Stevens.
Dis Altyd Lente
Dis Altyd Lente, which is played every time Maties score at a Varsity Cup game, was born out of a tumultuous time in Nic Stevens’ life.
He didn’t believe that he was good enough to sustain a career in music and so he decided to pursue a BCom Law degree at Stellenbosch University – a pursuit which only lasted for a year.
“I called my dad, and I told him I hated it. I couldn’t do it. But he told me I had to finish the year, and so what was left of my degree and my time at Stellies was basically a six-month holiday,” Nic laughs. “So, it was always lente for me!”
Nic Stevens thinks fondly about the times when he is asked to perform Dis Altyd Lente at Stellenbosch University’s Varsity Cup rugby games with his brothers, Christo and Cobus Snyman. “It’s become tradition to play the song every time the Maties score,” he says beaming. Despite the song being 20-years-old, Stevens says that every year it reaches thousands of different people, and its popularity continues to grow. PHOTO: Facebook/Nic Stevens
It was living in Stellenbosch, in the residence Huis Visser, which would allow him to meet a musically-inclined best friend who would help him to overcome his singing insecurities and kick-start his career.
“We just clicked from day one, and then we started a serenade group. That’s actually the first time I started singing, solo or duet with someone, and I said to myself: ‘Hey. I can do this,’” says Nic.
After transferring to UCT to study music, Nic started doing gigs to make some pocket money, and pay back his dad for the year that he’d “wasted”.
In 2006, he made his big break with a song called Jonk Bly and obtained a contract which allowed him to perform in Germany and the Netherlands.
I said to myself: ‘Hey. I can do this!’
“I became friends with some guys in the Netherlands, and they started playing me Dutch music,” Nic explains. It was then that he came across a song called: Het is altijd lente in de ogen van de tandartsassistente.
Nic was enamoured by the idea of writing a song about it always being springtime and says that, while driving one day, the thought struck him to write a song about his student days. “Or rather, my one year in Stellenbosch,” he jokes.
And so, Dis Altyd Lente was born. Never in his wildest dreams did Nic expect Dis Altyd Lente to become the persistent hit it has been for Stellenbosch University students since its release in 2006.
‘It’s only the beginning’
This year, Nic and his brothers are celebrating their 30th year in the music industry, and it’s prompted a lot of reflection. He says that Die Broers’ newest song, Wat Van Nou!, tells their story of the ups and downs they’ve experienced throughout their time as performing artists, but emphasises the possibilities and hope that the future brings.
“The song says we’ve been doing it for 30 years already, but it feels like the journey can start all over again. Wat van nou? What about now? It’s only the beginning,” explains Nic, adding that he feels especially relieved with Covid-19 restrictions coming to an end.
Covid-19 was an “absolutely terrible” time as a musician because it separated him from his deep-rooted love for performing, Nic explains.
“I like to perform. I love it! That’s why Covid was terrible. It’s like breathing. I need to perform. You can’t live without air.”
In the peak period of the Covid-19 lockdown, Nic Stevens says he felt physically and emotionally drained and demotivated, and he knew that “everyone kind of felt the same”. In an endeavour to lift some spirits, he performed an outdoor concert, with the front lawn of his house set as his stage, for the members of his neighbourhood where he lives. “Everyone came outside, and stood and watched from their stoeps,” Stevens explains. “In the end, there was a crazy turnout. About 17 000 people had watched. Absolutely amazing!” PHOTO: Jessica Hillier