Idols and The Illustrators

"Idols is something that needs to be used wisely in terms of the benefits for anyone’s music career. It gives you a massive marketing platform and TV time that money can never pay for, and it also puts you on the map. People care once they’ve seen you reach the top 10, and the experience you gain from what is an extremely daunting setting is priceless. I compare it to making a century in international cricket, people stand up and take notice and nobody can ever take it away from you," explains Neill. 

 

Be ready!

 

"My advice to anyone entering Idols ever is; come prepared. Have a plan and set yourself goals for the show. Record a demo, start rehearsing a live repertoire, do a photo shoot and start building a brand before the show so when you exit the show, you are ready to use the platform it has given to you. I think a lot of people have treated Idols as the be-all and end-all in the past and the truth is, the hard work starts when the show ends so be ready!"

 

Neill placed seventh in the competition, and has gone on to form his own outfit called The Illustrators who will soon release their debut album called Young Kings. With The Illustrators, Neill aims to play festivals, open for international acts, and take his music overseas in the long-term. 

 

 

But where did this adventure start? 

 

In 2011, at a restaurant, while waiting on Graeme Watkins' table...

 

"In between asking Graeme how he’d like his whiskey, I took the opportunity to tell him that I write and perform too, and that lead to him inviting me to sing for him at the studio," explains Neill. His relationship with Watkins still endures today, to the extent that the artist wrote and produced on The Illustrators' album.

 

The Illustrators have released three tracks so far, with ‘Melody Makes You’ being the latest offering. Working with a production and writing team that included William Kalmer, Graeme Watkins and Ryno Zeelie, the album will feature an eclectic mix of dance / electro music. Neill promises everything from house to EDM on Young Kings, as well as elements of story-telling. 

 

"We really tried to maintain a standard of story-telling and meaningful writing on the album and a couple of the songs are from personal experience and are really close to my heart in terms of where I am in life at the moment," says Neill. 

 

Making magic through collaborations

 

‘Melody Makes You’ also features another familiar voice, Shekhinah Donnell, who also made it to the Top 10 of Idols SA 2012. Neill's take on collaborations is that there has been a trend where they can go one of two ways: either amazing or really horrible. With that in mind, he tends to invest in collaborations with people he has a personal bond with. 

 

"I think all parties involved in a collab need to believe in each other and really tap into what each of them is doing. If I feel that with any artist in the future, I’ll definitely get them in the studio with me and hopefully we can make serious magic," explains Neill.

 

For now, the plan is to release Young Kings, and introduce South Africa to The Illustrators through live shows. 

 

 

It's tough!

 

It didn't just all fall into place though for Dominic Neill - like any other artist, he'll tell you the music industry is not for the faint-hearted: "The music industry is tough and filled with misconceptions; did I mention its tough! Anyone who has serious ambitions of making a career for themselves needs to know what they are in for. No matter how big you are, no matter how many number ones you’ve had, the hard work never ever stops. But it is an exciting exhilarating industry that can be so rewarding, so if you’re prepared to put the hard work in and box clever, you could be in for some awesome experiences.