The first thing you notice about Erin Drayton is optimism. The stuff practically radiates from her, and it’s impossible to not catch a few rays in the crossfire. It’s refreshing. So much of the music industry is drenched in the opposite, and often with good reason. It’s a battlefield and, for many of us (myself included), a certain nonchalance becomes necessary armour. That isn’t the case with Drayton.
The writer, producer, television presenter and Smile FM radio host is immediately charming, disarming any lingering cynicism before you’ve even finished introducing yourself. “The most rewarding part of my job is how artists and their music affect me personally,” she tells me. “Many don’t know if I’ve had a bad day or if I’m struggling with something. Their story, their love for their music and even the song itself can often be a highlight in my day. It’s educational, humbling, and inspiring for me.”
Drayton’s two children drift in and out of the rooms we visit in the egg-yolk yellow wormhole that is the Smile FM studios. Every few minutes there’s another story, another thing they want to show her. She meets each interruption with the same enthusiasm she brings to our conversation, the same engagement she’s just described. Watching them together explains something. Whether consciously or not, the qualities she brings to motherhood also seem to define the way she approaches South African musicians — with presence and support. It’s simply how she relates to people.
As the host of Smile FM’s SA Music Hour, Drayton spends four evenings a week introducing listeners to South African music, from household names to emerging artists. On air, it feels effortless, Drayton’s natural charisma oozing all over 90.4FM. Off air, it’s hours of preparation.
“I think people don’t realise how much preparation goes into it,” she says. “I listen to every single song that gets sent my way, and I do try to answer everyone who messages or mails.” Drayton doesn’t just play songs on air to meet a quota, she’s genuinely invested in local music and making the industry better for artists. She cares about the details, because she knows how much it means to the people making the music on her playlists.
This attention to detail is driven by a genuine curiosity that Drayton has carried throughout her almost two decades long career in radio and television. “I’m a radio nerd,” she laughs. “I’ve loved the medium since childhood. In university at Stellenbosch, I boldly walked into MFM and asked how to join. I did their training programme, the radio bug bit hard, and the rest is history.” She went on to Good Hope FM before stepping away from radio altogether. For almost a decade, Drayton worked in television, producing shows including Doctor’s Orders and writing for the popular morning show Expresso. When Smile FM came calling in 2019, Drayton didn’t hesitate. It felt less like a career change than a return to a calling.
Last year, Drayton added another role to her already varied CV when she joined the judging panel for the South African Music Awards. The SAMAs gig is a testament to the role she’s played in providing launching pads for artists, an acknowledgment of Drayton’s contribution to growing South Africa’s music industry. Though it’s difficult to imagine her judging anyone per se. When she speaks about the experience, it quickly becomes apparent that she approached it less as an opportunity to critique music than to immerse herself in its intentions.
“I was very surprised when I got the email asking me to judge. I had to check if it was legit,” she says. “I approached the role with great enthusiasm and a healthy dose of seriousness. The task is an honour, and the judges’ feedback needs to be quite detailed.” She blocked off entire days to listen to the submissions, making detailed notes as she went. “Scoring can be tough when artists are delivering top-tier quality,” she says. “Because I was so excited, the most difficult thing was not telling people I was a judge until the final nominations were announced.”
One phrase keeps resurfacing throughout our conversation: the artists. Even when describing her own work, Drayton has a habit of redirecting the conversation back to the people making the music she shares on air. “The first thing I look for is quality in the song,” she explains. “That doesn’t necessarily mean super expensive flashy production. I’m looking for good music. An interesting structure, great lyrics, a unique sound, beautiful aural texture or simplicity. If the song piques my interest, I then go looking for the artist’s story.” It’s for these stories that Drayton has shaped SA Music Hour into a platform for musicians to connect with audiences, a show that acknowledges artists as people, and their songs as artefacts of their lives.
It’s a perspective that’s informed by spending years on both sides of the industry. She understands the realities of commercial radio, where playlists are shaped by programming decisions as much as personal taste, but she’s equally aware of what airtime can mean to an independent musician. “Commercial radio is defined by business rules that don’t always make it possible for stations to play any kind of music,” she says. “But we do go as far as we can to support it as much as possible.” The music industry often imagines broadcasters as gatekeepers. Drayton seems more interested in opening gates than guarding them.
That support extends beyond the airwaves. She makes a point of going to local shows whenever she can. She listens to full EPs and albums rather than skipping between singles. She introduces artists to one another if she thinks they’ll get along or make interesting collaborators. Drayton makes connections, not for herself, but something bigger. It’s not something she presents as extraordinary; she talks about it the way someone might talk about keeping in touch with friends. It’s just natural.
When I ask what excites her about South African music right now, the answer comes immediately. “There’s a growing movement of phenomenal female singer-songwriters that I’m watching with great interest,” she says. “I also love what’s happening in local R&B. We have amazing artists who are bringing back the beautiful quality from early 2000s R&B but giving it a distinct South African flavour.”
Even in the age of algorithms, Drayton still believes radio has an important place in the music ecosystem. It remains accessible, it pays royalties. But mostly because, as Drayton points out, it connects different generations of listeners through music. “Teens and young adults today wouldn’t know Brenda Fassie or even Danny K if it wasn’t for their songs still being played on radio,” she says. Though she sees how radio can do better at evolving with the times. “I love that local radio has done so well to include so much local music but, as media and entertainment consumption evolves, there could be new innovations radio could unlock to help boost the local music scene.”
Drayton is incredibly observant, and this has given her a strong awareness of the needs of artists. “Just from speaking to artists over the years, I know one of the biggest struggles is getting live performance opportunities as an emerging act. Getting paid properly for a great live show is also a big challenge,” she says. “There’s also been a lot of discussion around festivals not including enough women in their line-ups. What I’d like to see is a better, more equitable business model for live shows. I’d love to see more support for our women artists, and I do think the time is coming where there will be more women-led line-ups.” Ever the optimist, Drayton smiles. “Because the queens will make it happen.”
What strikes me most about Drayton is how little she positions herself at the centre of what she does. In fact, by the time we wrap up, she has spoken very little about herself. It feels less like modesty than instinct, just Drayton sharing her earnest approach to the job. Perhaps that’s why SA Music Hour feels the way it does. Not just a show but an opportunity. Behind every interview is someone who still approaches a new submission with the same caring curiosity that led her to walk into MFM as a student and ask how to get involved. Nearly twenty years later, that curiosity hasn’t worn off. If anything, it’s become the whole point.
Catch Erin Drayton on Smile 90.4 FM’s “SA Music Hour” every Monday to Thursday from 19:00 – 21:00.
All photographs by Laura McCullagh.
