Lance Herman – Biography
Lance Herman is a South African musician, singer-songwriter and performer based in Cape Town. Known for his lyrical depth, genre-blending sound and distinctive live performances, his career has spanned bands, solo projects, cinematic scoring and DJ performance.
Lance began his musical journey at school, performing in plays and forming his first original band, Dry Water. While studying at the University of Cape Town, he co-founded Fly Paper Jet (originally Juxtaplan), which went on to finish as runner-up to Freshlyground in the Cape Town Battle of the Bands.
Fly Paper Jet performed at major outdoor venues and events, including Kirstenbosch Gardens’ Summer Sunset Concerts, where the band opened for the Soweto String Quartet. They regularly shared stages and collaborated with prominent South African artists including 340ml, Tumi and the Volume, Waddy Jones (later known as Ninja of Die Antwoord), Sibot and MXO, and opened for international artist Matisyahu at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC).
Following Fly Paper Jet, Lance formed the duo Ginsburg & Herman with guitarist Josh Ginsburg before launching the solo project ELIEZER. As ELIEZER, he performed at the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown and received strong critical acclaim.
“A breath-taking performance by Lance Herman. It is not often you find a solo project as exhilarating as Eliezer. This really is a rough gem.”
— Dumisani Budaza, Cue, Grahamstown National Arts Festival
“I can only say that as a lover of music I am moved by them, and struck by the honesty of the lyrics. I have been to three Eliezer shows and each one has been more magical than the last.”
— Matthew Freemantle, jrnl.co.za
By 2013, Lance had begun performing under his own name. His debut single, “Rollercoaster”, co-produced with South African jazz musician Shane Cooper, received radio play on 5FM. This led to an invitation to record at Red Bull Studios Cape Town, resulting in tracks including “Ride the Waves” and “Thin Bridge”.
His self-titled debut album, Lance Herman, followed, featuring collaborations with Paul Ressel, Josh Ginsburg, Thor Rixon, Nicholas van Reenen, Lee Thomson and Shane Cooper.
Lance’s music has also featured in film, television and commercial projects. “Skylark” appears in the BBC/M-Net crime series Devil’s Peak; “Dangling Man” was used as the closing-credits music for Ari Kruger’s independent short film Jakkals 13 (produced by Sketchbook Studios); and “Summer Ending” featured in the SABC travel series Going Nowhere Slowly. “In the River in Reverse” was used in Daniel Gersohn’s independent short film Topia, while “Ship in the Desert” accompanied a promotional film for the Goli Blue Lagoon Triathlon (produced by Electric Ink). Lance also composed original music for the Africa Is Now runway show, presented at the Africa Fashion International Indaba at Atlantic Film Studios, Cape Town.
As a live performer, Lance has appeared at festivals and venues including Rocking the Daisies, KKNK, the National Arts Festival, Thursdays Project at the V&A Waterfront, Straight No Chaser and the Alexander Bar Theatre in Cape Town. He has shared stages with artists including BCUC, Bye Beneco, Arno Carstens and Springbok Nude Girls, and has performed at venues such as Mystic Boer in Bloemfontein and Rumours Rock City in Johannesburg.
His live performances have featured musicians including drummers Jonno Sweetman and Kesivan Naidoo, bassists Ryan McArthur and Callum McDonald, and horn players Lee Thomson and Russ Nerwich. He has also performed with international artists including Norwegian jazz pianist Andreas Loven and Swiss musician Eliana Burki, as well as South African vocalist Bonj Mpanza.
More recently, Lance has expanded his creative work to include DJ performance, curating deep house and African-influenced electronic selections for private events and Cape Town venues. A multidisciplinary artist, he also directs many of his own music videos, bringing together his interests in music, language and visual storytelling.
Lance holds a Master’s degree in English Literature from the University of Cape Town, awarded cum laude and completed with support from an A.W. Mellon Scholarship. Following his MA, he was awarded a Performing Arts Fellowship by the Donald Gordon Institute for Performing and Creative Arts (GIPCA), now the Institute for Creative Arts (ICA).
The self-titled Lance Herman LP is available on all major streaming platforms.
Selected Press:
“There’s nothing quite as satisfying as watching well-shot black and white film footage of talented musicians playing original material… The complexity of the lyrics of ‘In the River, in Reverse’, as well as the unusual melodies, rhythm and bass line, could have well been lost if Herman had opted for a busy, psychedelic aesthetic… I haven’t heard anything quite like ‘In the River, in Reverse’ before.”
— Tecla Ciolfi, Texx and the City
“Lance Herman is a musician and songwriter who is probably best known for the track ‘Rollercoaster’… For those who have followed the Cape Town live music scene for a while, they will be familiar with Lance’s previous projects, Fly Paper Jet and Ginsburg & Herman. Both of these contain some of the essence that makes up Lance’s music now: a fine balance of quirky irreverence, genuine introspection and strong musicality: a mixture that makes for brilliant, off-beat pop music.”
— Richard Rumney, Red Bull Studios Cape Town