Chris Chameleon

Chris Chameleon is being hailed as a musical phenomenon on the South African music front and abroad. His exceptional four-octave voice and dynamic stage personality have won him rave reviews and a total of 19 impressive awards over the past four years, including two South African Music Awards (SAMAs) and a Medal of Honor from the SA Academy of Science and Arts as well as 2 platinum and 1 gold selling albums and 1 gold selling DVD. Background in brief In 1997, Chris Chameleon became the bassist and front man of one of South Africa’s proudest musical exports, Boo!. In 7 years Boo! acquired an enormous following worldwide by performing 800 gigs in 17 countries, including 14 states in the USA. The band also received a South African Music Award in 2002 for ‘Best Pop Album.’ In 2005, Chris Chameleon embarked on a solo career and has since become one of South Africa's most successful artists, both on home ground and in the Benelux Countries. Chris Chameleonn has released six solo albums and two live albums between 2005 and 2009. Five of these albums were nominated for the prestigious South African Music Awards (SAMA) in the years relevant to the release dates. “7de Hemel” won the SAMA for Best Afrikaans Contemporary Album in 2007 and “Kyk Hoe Lyk Ons Nou” won the SAMA for Best Afrikaans Contemporary Album in 2010. In 2008 ,2009 and 2010 Chameleon was also nominated for the SAMA in the coveted Best Male Artist category. Chameleon has also released 3 live DVD's up to date. These DVD's perfectly capture why he is renowned for his incredible versatility by moving with remarkable ease between Folk, Contemporary, Rock and Classical, English and Afrikaans. In August 2007, Chris Chameleon signed a record deal with the premier independent label in the Netherlands, Excelsior Recordings. The album Ek vir Jou is being distributed by Excelsior Recordings in the Benelux countries (The Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg.) Chameleon has completed various successful tours in the Benelux Countries over the last three years in prestigious theaters as a solo artist as well as in rock venues with a band. On 18 July 2009 he performed at the 46664 Mandela Day Concert in New York with legends such as Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, and Josh Groban. Chris Chameleon’s talents are not limited to performance and songwriting as he has written monthly columns for both the country’s top music magazine Stage, and the thought provoking magazine called Insig and is currently writing a biweekly column for national newspaper Beeld. As an actor he’s either starred or had supporting roles in over 30 TV and movie productions over the last 17 years. On average, he performs up to 150 gigs per year to sold out audiences in South Africa, Namibia, Belgium, England, and The Netherlands. In 2009, he released a new album “Kyk Hoe Lyk Ons Nou” and hosted a 4-part documentary broadcasted on South African national TV of the same title. 2010 saw Chameleon recording a new Boo! album, "The Three of Us," to be released later in the year, as well as acting in popular SA TV programme “Binnelanders”. Chris will also continue to perform in Belgium and the Netherlands and possibly other territories. So as you can see, true to his name, there are many colours to this Chameleon, and music is what keeps his heart pumping. Chris Chameleon has proven that his talent and appeal defy conventional demographics and genrefication. Here is an artist whose relevance extends beyond the local South African scene to include a wider international audience. With simply a guitar and unusual voice-work, Chris Chameleon has captured the intrigue of fans worldwide and is set to be a pioneering force for South African music in the world ... watch this space! ---- Chris Chameleon’s popularity and world-class talent has also been evident from various awards that he has won over the past four years. These awards are: • SAMA Award for Best Afrikaans Contemporary Album – “Kyk Hoe Lyk Ons Nou” 2010 • KANNA Award for Best Male Artist at the Klein Karoo National Arts Festival in 2009 • INNIBOS Award for Most Popular Production at Innibos 2009 • Huisgenoot Tempo Award for Most Popular Afrikaans Album for “Ek Vir Jou” 2008 • Vonk Award for Best Solo DVD for “Klassieke Chameleon” 2008 • SAMA Award for Best Afrikaans Contemporary Album – “7de Hemel” 2007 • Medal of Honour: Awarded to Chris by the SA Academy of Science and Art for his contribution to Afrikaans Music - 2007 • FAK Award for Exceptional Cultural Achievement - 2007 • VONK Award for Best Male Solo Artist - 2007 • VONK Award for Best Songwriter for STERREDANK - 2007 • KANNA Award for Best Music Theatre Production at KKNK - 2007 • People’s Choice Award for KLASSIEKE CHAMELEON at Aardklop 2007 • Huisgenoot Tempo Award for Favourite Contemporary Artist - 2006 • Vonk Award for Best Male Artist - 2006 • Vonk Award for Best Male Album: “Ek Herhaal Jou” - 2006 • MK89 Award for Best Solo Video “Die Onverkrygbare” - 2006 • MK89 Award for Sexiest Video “Die Onverkrygbare” - 2006 • AMT Award for Best Male Album: “7de Hemel” - 2006 • AMT Award for Best Male video: “Groet” – 2006 Further SAMA nominations included: * Best Male Artist – Chris Chameleon 2008, 2009 & 2010 * Album of the Year for “Klassieke Chameleon” - 2009 * Best Afrikaans DVD for “Klassieke Chameleon” - 2009 * Best Afrikaans Contemporary Album for “Klassieke Chameleon” - 2009 * MTN Record of the Year for “Sterredank” - 2009 * Best Male Artist – Chris Chameleon - 2008 * Best Global Chart DVD for “Flight of an Extraordinary Alien” - 2008 * Best Afrikaans Contemporary Album for “Ek Vir Jou” - 2008 * Song of the Year for “Droomland” - 2007 * Best Alternative Album for “Shine” - 2007 * Best Afrikaans Contemporary Album for “Ek Herhaal Jou” - 2006 www.chrischameleon.com www.facebook.com/chrischameleon www.myspace.com/chrischameleon