Based: Johannesburg
Cara Frew is an artist and singer-songwriter whose music can be described as pop vocals over acoustic elements or electronic beats and rhythms. The British South African singer-songwriter currently lives in London and travels between Los Angeles and South Africa.
She has opened for The Script and released her debut album “Flame” through Sony Music Entertainment worldwide. Cara co-wrote her latest work with powerhouse Neil Ormandy and released SAMA nominated “Free” earlier this year. Cara’s collaboration with American DJ SNBRN has over four million plays on Spotify & Soundcloud and last year, Cara had the opportunity to perform at one of the biggest music festivals in the world – Coachella Music Festival in California.
Cara studied at Berklee College of Music and has had recent sync placements on ABC hit series Pretty Little Liars and Vanderpump Rules. She has completed a Production Course at the Scratch Academy in Los Angeles, received a Master Certificate for vocal performance, piano, production, songwriting and music theory at the Malie Kelly Vocal Academy in South Africa and went on to further her knowledge at the Song Writing School of Los Angeles, where she gained first-hand experience in songwriting and studio production. Having worked in LA it wasn’t long before Cara had the opportunity to write and record with musical greats such as Lauren Christy and Andre Lindal, the creative duo behind Kelly Clarkson’s Grammy-Award winning “Stronger”. Listing Amy Winehouse and Lana Del Rey as some of her favorite artists, it was a dream come true to record her first four-track EP “Come Close to Me” with Daniel Heath who was responsible for Del Rey’s “Blue jeans” and “Young and Beautiful”. All four tracks were co-written with Stefan Skarbek who worked closely with Amy Winehouse.
Back in South Africa, Cara collaborated on a song with one of Africa’s biggest exports, world-renowned DJ and music producer – Black Coffee. ‘’I’ll Find You’’ was the first release off Black Coffee’s 2015 album. The collaboration afforded Cara the opportunity to perform at Ultra Music Festival Miami, South Africa and Sónar Johannesburg.
Cara’s first single, “Falling”, an African influenced Tropical House track produced by a Cape Town based band, The Kiffness, received a lot of local attention. This summer tune charted on many of South Africa’s top radio stations including national radio station, 5FM, where it spent 12 weeks on the Top 40 charts, four of which were in the Top 10, reaching number four.
Her second single “Invisible” superseded expectations by spending three months at Number One on the radio chart, which makes Cara the first artist since 2009 to dominate the Top 30 chart, B.O.B and Lady Gaga held the record for only three weeks. The success of Cara’s EP created a stir on the music scene, and Sony Music Entertainment offered her a record deal. Her third and fourth single “Only High with You” and “Dance” did not disappoint and again, both topped the radio charts nationwide.
Cara is no stranger to the international scene as she has performed at Ultra Music Festival Singapore, in Croatia and earlier last year and in Los Angeles at Soho House last September. To tick another item off her bucket list, Cara sang an acoustic set at the infamous Viper Room, a nightclub located on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, in August last year.
Cara has also competed at the highest level in the equestrian sport at the World Equestrian Games three times, the first time as a Vaulter, so fun fact, she can stand on the back of a cantering horse on one leg and twice as a Show Jumper.
There is more to this artist than what meets the eye.
