Lance Herman – Biography
www.lanceherman.com
Lance Herman is a versatile South African musician, singer-songwriter, and performer based in Cape Town. Known for his lyrical depth, genre-blending sound, and magnetic live shows, Lance’s career spans bands, solo projects, cinematic scoring, and DJ performance.
He began his musical journey in 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), a band that became runners-up to Freshlyground in the Cape Town Battle of the Bands. FPJ played large outdoor venues including Kirstenbosch Gardens’ Summer Sunset Concerts, where they opened for the Soweto String Quartet. They regularly shared stages and collaborated with prominent South African acts like 340ml, Tumi and the Volume, Waddy Jones (aka Ninja of Die Antwoord), Sibot, MXO, and served as the opening act for international artist Matisyahu at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC).
After Fly Paper Jet, Lance formed the duo Ginsburg & Herman with guitarist Josh Ginsburg, before launching the solo project ELIEZER. The name was inspired by an arts fellowship awarded by the Gordon Institute for Performing and Creative Arts at UCT—an honor given to only five South African artists that year. As ELIEZER, Lance performed at prestigious venues including the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown, earning praise from critics:
“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. “
⎯ Duminsana Budaza, Cue Newspaper (Grahamstown National Arts Festival)
“I am not qualified to comment on the technical quality of the songs. 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 (South African Arts / Culture website)
By 2013, Lance began performing under his own name. His debut single Rollercoaster, co-produced with jazz luminary Shane Cooper, earned radio play on 5FM. This led to an invitation to record an EP at Red Bull Studios in Cape Town, featuring tracks like Ride the Waves and Thin Bridge. His self-released, eponymous debut LP followed, featuring collaborations with Paul Ressel, Josh Ginsburg, Thor Rixon, Nicholas van Reenen, Lee Thomson, and Shane Cooper.
Lance's music has been featured in films, TV series, and commercials. Highlights include:
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Skylark, featured in the BBC/MNET crime series Devil’s Peak
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Dangling Man, featured as credits music for independent short film Jakkals 13, by Ari Kruger.
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Summer Ending, featured on SABC’s travel series Going Nowhere Slowly
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In The River In Reverse, used on independent short film Topia, by Daniel Gersohn.
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Ship In the Desert, used for promo video for the Goli Blue Lagoon Triathlon, prod Electric Ink.
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Original music for Africa Is Now, presented at the Africa Fashion International Indaba at Atlantic Studios
As a live performer, Lance has appeared at Rocking the Daisies, KKNK, Grahamstown National Arts Festival, Thursdays Project at the V&A Waterfront, and smaller venues like Straight No Chaser and Alexander Bar Theatre in Cape Town. He’s shared stages with BCUC, Bye Beneco, Arno Carstens, and Springbok Nude Girls, and played venues like Mystic Boer in Bloemfontein and Rumours Rock City in Johannesburg.
His live shows are marked by lyrical clarity and musical chemistry, often featuring top South African musicians: drummers Jonno Sweetman and Kesivan Naidoo, bassists Ryan McArthur and Callum McDonald, and horn players like Lee Thomson and Russ Nerwich. He has also performed with international jazz artists such as Andreas Loven (Norway) and Eliana Burki (Switzerland), and vocal collaborator Bonj Mpanza.
More recently, Lance has expanded his creative output to include DJ sets—curating deep house and Afro-beat selections for private events and Cape Town venues. A multi-disciplinary artist, he directs many of his own music videos and integrates a passion for words, visuals, and melody into his evolving artistic expression.
Lance holds a Master’s degree in English Literature from the University of Cape Town and is a former Institute for Creative Arts Performing Arts Fellow. His debut album Lance Herman is available on all major streaming platforms.
Press Reviews:
Review by Tecla Ciolfi TEXXANDTHECITY Live Recording of Lance Herman song “In the River In Reverse”, Soundcast Studios Cape Town [TexxxAndTheCity.Com]:
"There’s nothing quite as satisfying as watching well-shot black and white film footage of talented musicians playing original material. Lance Herman kept it really simple for his newest video release, but it really works. The complexity of the lyrics of ‘In the River, in Reverse’, as well as the unusual melodies, rhythmand bass line could have well been lost if Herman had opted for a busy, psychedelic aesthetic. There is a seriousness that is felt with a traditional black and white colour palette, which matches the focused nature of the music. Herman seems to have gently shed the skin of his highly successful project, Eliezer, and now has more space to experiment with his songwriting, as well as with bigger instrumentation. I haven’t heard anything quite like ‘In the River, in Reverse before, yet, like the video, the track is a really accessible piece that many will enjoy, I’m looking forward to seeing how Lance Herman’s latest music project unfolds. Watch the video below." - Tecla Ciolfi, [TexxAndTheCity.Com]
Review Richard Rumney Red Bull Studios Cape Town of Lance Herman Ride The Waves EP recording [RedBullMediaHouse.Com]:
Lance Herman is a musician and songwriter who is probably best known for the track Rollercoaster which has managed to capture a mainstream radio-listening audience. Understandably so as its both beautiful and sanguine, a track to sing along to but with enough layers to pensively peal away on repeated listens. For those who have followed the Cape Tonian live music scene for a while, they will be familiar with Lance's previous projects, Fly Paper Jet and Ginsburg and 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. These two tracks, recorded, mixed and produced in Studio, follow on from Rollercoaster and will feature on an upcoming album to be released next year. Both tracks were written and produced by Lance Herman. Thin Bridge features drums by Jonno Sweetman and bass and synths by Shane Cooper. Synths on Ride the Waves by Nicolaas Van Reenen." - Richard Rumney, Red Bull Studios Cape Town [RedBullMediaHouse.Com]