Ayrton's first single, “I Will Go Far,” is a cocktail of emotion and country-pop.
Some people have a calling in cloth. The rest, well, elsewhere. For 20-year-old Ayrton Van Wyngaard, his music was his salvation. He's only just debuted his first single, but if that's any indication of what's to come for him, it's a bright light and billboard on the card. The song title is “I Will Go Far.”
Ayrton, as he likes to be called, may have left school early, but his passion for music quickly became a compass in life. For this young artist, music was more than just an escape, it was a never-ending pursuit, even when the going got tough.
“Seventh grade came around and I decided it was over. I wasn't going to go back to school. I'm not interested in that,” he said. “Almost instantly after that, I discovered my love for music,” he added.
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He didn't have access to a professional recording environment at first, so like many aspiring artists, he got creative. “Once you download these apps to your phone, you can now import an instrumental or backing track and record your own vocals over it,” he shared.
“It wasn't perfect, but it was a start.'' Ayrton's resourcefulness was not in vain. His father recognized his potential and bought him his first microphone so he could take his hobby to the next level. “It wasn't the best, but I started mixing and self-recording at home,” he said.
You won't have access to Pro Gear at first
Ayrton's passion and obsession with music grew over time, and he invested in better equipment and began honing his sound. “Although it was still only a modest improvement, the R500 microphone I bought made a huge difference to me,” he laughed.
Behind the scenes, his father continued to send demos to the music industry. South African music industry legend Patrick Meyer signed Ayrton to the studio earlier this year. “The leap into a professional recording studio environment was incredible,” he said. “It was like a dream come true,” he said.
He collaborated with veteran producer Matthew Fink. He said the two hit it off right away and credited Fink with helping him realize his vision. “Matthew is great at what he does,” he said. “I felt like this was where I needed to be, an expression of who I was and who I was going to be,” he said.
Watch Ayrton's debut music video “I Will Go Far”
Ayrton's first single I Will Go Faris a cocktail of emotion and country pop. “It started out as one of those corny love songs, but I thought it was too uplifting for that,” he said. Instead, the song evolved into a lyrically sharp ode to resilience and determination, themes that deeply resonated with Ayrton's own life.
“I think it just focuses on the fact that no matter what's going on around you, if you dream hard enough and work hard enough, you'll succeed,” he said. Ayrton didn't just write this song for himself. He wrote this book for all those who have faced hardship and continued to move forward.
unexpectedly he moved forward
Creating a song requires introspection. He had to move on in many parts of his life. Because his family moved often, Ayrton never set down roots, which sometimes made it difficult for him to form relationships. It also shaped his own constant self-reflection. He is a thinker and a thinker.
“I don't just write about something. I need a certain emotion or feeling and I try to project that into my music,” he said. Influenced by artists ranging from Post Malone to Noah Kahan, he blends emotional depth with catchy, uplifting songs. It seems natural to him.
“I'm really excited. Everything is coming together,” he said. It's not that I don't have confidence. “I truly believe that my music has appeal,” he said, reflecting on his future possibilities. But while his ambitions are big, he said he will never lose sight of his roots. That, and telling stories of resilience, struggle, and ultimately triumph through music.
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