Central SA
Independent creatives, upcoming artists to be heard─── 13:50 Wed, 08 Feb 2023
You Are My Sunday, which is popularly known as YAMS, is a community that shares a love for live music and the talented musicians who produce it. It is a safe space for artists and music lovers to share and network.
These artists come together once a month to showcase their talent. It is also meant for independent creatives and upcoming artists who deserve to be heard. It is definitely not your standard jam session, it is an experience where one can find the music scene's hidden jewels. For all music enthusiasts, it is a haven of passion.
The founder of YAMS Africa, Bridget Pike, is an actress, singer, and creative director who has always been involved in the arts. She says that she recognised a need to fill a gap in the market after touring China in 2018 with her band. She realised that there weren’t any musical shows or live events for the genres she enjoyed. She was looking for an eclectic range of music such as RnB, jazz, neo-soul, hip hop and not just a place with a DJ.
So, in the month of her birthday, she made the decision to launch her own event, which she did in her backyard with a few friends. In the beginning, she only hosted 20 - 30 people but now she has had to move to a larger venue as she has an audience of 200 – 300 people every time.
Bridget has recently partnered with a US-based company called The Rooftop Vibe, which assisted her with brand awareness, marketing and promoting her monthly event. Through this company, she was able to pre-sell all her tickets for her event in January and that has never happened before. So they helped her a lot in promoting her event.
Over the last five years, she has had over 1000 artists grace the YAMS stage and at her monthly show, she has 25 artists who showcase their talent while food and drinks are available and being served to the audience. As they are celebrating the 5th anniversary of YAMS this year, she is planning to have amazing performances on the day, a photo booth, cake, balloons, and a special shoutout which will be on their social media pages.
The goal of YAMS is to create a space where artists can freely express themselves and showcase their craft. They believe that: “We are stronger together if we want to make an impact, that your dreams are valid and you deserve to be heard.”
