It has been four years since rising singer-songwriter Solomon John released his debut single, and the man behind the mic has continued to keep on, staying faithful to the quest while finding his footing. The Durban native kicked off the year with the single “Get Out of My Head”, released on the 9th of April 2026.
Solomon traced the beginning of his music journey back to his church days when he was young, and he talked about his love for the guitar.
“Started off much like a lot of kids who eventually became musicians themselves—started in the church. That’s where it all started. My family was in the choir, and growing up around that influence, I caught the bug for music. It was never something I had taken seriously, but as time went on, I started developing an affinity for the guitar. Really wanted to learn how it works.
Solomon John | SUPPLIED
“As I grew older, my motivations changed. What started off good then became something I realised I could use to sing to chicks. That kind of natural progression of getting older. In the midst of doing music in church, I started mixing with different players from different groups, and growing up in Durban, I got exposed to a lot of cover bands. For the longest time, it was just me, my guitar, singing and nothing else,” he said.
John spoke about the turning point that spurred him to pursue music with a serious spirit, inspired by one of the last words of his late grandmother.
“I think a big change over the past five years for me was because of my grandmother’s passing. During that time, one of the last few times I spent with her, she told me how proud she was of the music. I was confused about it because I had done nothing about it up until that point, and she told me that I have a beautiful voice. My first single, ‘How Did We’, back in the early 2020s, was done because of that, that point where I decided to take my music a little bit more seriously. It was a point in my life where I realised I had grown too comfortable, and here was this person telling me that I should go ahead and try something with the music.”
Listen to “How Did We”:
Sourced from a visceral personal experience of a relationship marked with red flags and toxicity, John talked about his latest rock-influenced single “Get Out of My Head”.
“I think I’ve been fairly safe in my genre choices over the past few years. I wanted to experience and experiment with rock and alt, and music that doesn’t necessarily have everyone’s ear. A big part of that is that I had worked with Ruan Graaff as my producer before on two other songs, and he’s pretty much one of the best in the rock scene. He helped me put together the ideas behind it from the inspiration of a toxic relationship. I was essentially with someone and thought everything was okay, only for her to tell me halfway through that she’s toxic. As an idiot, you think to yourself that you can save her, but it doesn’t work out that way. It ended up becoming something I didn’t want it to be, with me becoming obsessed for a long time, and she knew where it was going, which wasn’t anywhere. So it’s almost like a resolution to myself. The song was part of the healing process of getting that toxic relationship out of my system and learning how to ignore those kinds of situations moving forward,” he said.
Check out “Get Out of My Head”:
The singer shared his hopes for the rest of the year, with more music being slated for release and plans for cultivating home support.
“The year’s quite a busy one for me—I still have a lot of music to release. There are too many songs on the card this year, and it’s all about pushing the envelope, pushing grunge, alternative rock vibes with influences of Metallica and Cypress Hill. For the year, I want to push a lot of music that’s unheard of in and by a South African. I want to get a lot more ears on Solomon John and start off with a few gigs. Building a supporter base locally,” he said.
The muso talked about being remembered for relatable artistry.
“There’s a band called Vertical Horizon with a song called ‘Best I Ever Had (Grey Sky Morning)’, and I think I want to be remembered as the guy who said exactly what he felt with his music. I would love for my music to blow up, but I ultimately want every listener to feel that I captured exactly what they felt. If a person points at my song and says they wish they had done it, then I would’ve achieved my goal,” he said.
Solomon John | SUPPLIED
The KZN musician touched on growth in recent years.
“I feel like I’m starting to find my feet. The last few years, during which I experimented, were a phase of my career where I had to prove to myself that I could do it. I think what I’m doing right now is aligned with who I am. There’s a lot of stuff I want to achieve, so I’m not happy with where I am as yet. But I will get to that point pretty quickly if I continue along this path,” he said.
Solomon rounded up by mentioning some of the sounds he’d like to tap into in the future.
“I’ve always loved reggae. My deejaying also takes me back to liquid drum and bass. But I think I’d love to stay in the alt-rock category. I think there’s so much to be done there, and I feel like it’s the perfect fit for me for where I am right now,” he said.
