Over the years there have been very few entertainers that I’ve felt could come close to matching the charisma of Francois van Coke, until I met Zaan Sonnekus. The two vocalists working together makes so much sense – it’s the amalgamation of generations, the induction of the new kid on the block who’s been working steadily to cement his name on the scene.
Their second rock-rooted collab is “LEWE”, a track that’s about living life to the max, something Francois is extremely well-versed on. “Zaan and I are friends, but I also see something of myself in him when I was his age. It is that putting your body on the line, no holds barred commitmentto making music. I think this song captures this attitude,” Francois tells me.
The music video, filmed by Julius Bekker from RFND Photography, reflects this devil-may-care sentiment, as we follow the duo while they surf the waves of Muizenberg, jol a bietjie at Blondies, paint braaibroodjies under the watchful eye of Spoegwolf’s frontman, Danie du Toit, and oh, give each other dodgy tattoos.
The single’s cover art is actually the tattoo that Zaan gave Francois. The tattoo that Francois gave Zaan? We don’t talk about that one.
For Zaan, it is full-circle to make music with Francois again as he tells me, “To make music with someone who inspired me to do it in the first place, is something I don’t take lightly. Francois has been my favourite artist since I was a young laaitie and will probably be for the rest of my life. I grew up with his music and saw how he kicked the door open for Afrikaans rock. So, to call him a friend and a mentor is kind of surreal for me.”
This whole release is just wholesome as all hell, and I’m looking forward to seeing it live at Francois van Coke & Vriende 2026 at SunBet Arena, Time Square (Pretoria) on 9 October.
