Michele, left, and Lauren, the husband-and-wife duo making up Saul City. Image: Supplied
Could 2021 be the breakout year for this talented musical couple?
Michele, left, and Lauren, the husband-and-wife duo making up Saul City. Image: Supplied
Michele Covito and Lauren Manus from Saul City have an impressive, fresh sound that is difficult to characterise. There are distinct indie vibes and electronic elements to their songs, but they have been known to experiment with diverse sounds like jazz also, making their music a fusion of different genres.
The duo released 10 singles in 2020. Their latest release, No More, caught the attention of music lovers and could help to make 2021 the bands break-out year.
Saul City was initially based in producer and guitarist Michele’s home country of Italy for more than nine years, where they performed widely. But now the couple are living in Cape Town, which is home to singer and songwriter Lauren.
2021 has started well for the husband-and-wife duo, as they are now part of the music programme at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town.
The two started writing and producing for artists from the UK, Italy and Australia, and strive to continue collaborating with artists both locally and internationally. With 11 years of creating music together, they show no signs of stopping, using their cultural diversity and musical backgrounds to their advantage.
The band has a flair for creating urban and indie productions with lyrical sensibility.
A more fearless approach in showing who we are, not only as artists but in speaking about our future desires and hopes.
Fame should never be the main goal.
When we’ve made all the music we could make and have done everything we set out to do.
It’s a form of expression. However, we think it goes deeper than expression. It is a form of finding sanity, saying things you wouldn’t usually say out loud. Music is therapy and it is a gift.
The creative process, finding the right words and the challenge of ensuring we are able to make tangible through words and singing the feelings we are unable to express.
There was a guy who so badly wanted to join us on stage with his percussion, but he played an entirely different song to what we were performing. We thought it was pretty funny.
Jesus.
We admire all the people who don’t care about being wrong when taking a step forward to make dreams a reality.
A nice glass of red wine.
Opening for Coldplay or John Mayer.
The fact that we’ve been making music for almost 12 years and have been married for 10 years, People are always shocked when they hear this.
Lauren: Nana
Michele: Miky
Lauren: I’d be a writer.
Michele: Movie production.
Genuine, social, hard-working, procrastinator, thinker.
Anything with Tom Hardy and or Denzel Washington in the staring role.
Alanis Morissette’s Mary Jane and The Cranberries’ Twenty One.
Family.
Obviously.
Reebok Pumps.
“I’m in my chops”, ie I’m really tired.
Being able to tour internationally, placing music in a major movie, building a company to work with different kinds of artists and create great content.
Being able to make our greatest passion a job.
Waking up early.
People being afraid to share opinions that are not truly their own, but rather conditioned to what the world deems acceptable.
Being present and fully acknowledging the moment.
Watch the audience.
Rather than trying to control your life, live it searching for purpose as an individual.
We would like to be spending time with our friends and family back in Italy.
Yes, we do. We’ve put together fundraising concerts both in Italy and online during COVID. At this very moment we are putting together a campaign to raise money to clothe and provide food for orphanages in Cape Town.
Our greatest dream is to change, or at least make an impact, on the values surrounding the music business.
Follow the duo on social media @saul_city on Instagram, @Saul City on Facebook and on their website at saulcity.com.
#MusicExchange: Q&A with December Streets frontman Tristan Coetsee
#MusicExchange: Rapid-fire Q&A with late bloomer Jeremy Loops
#MusicExchange: Rapid-fire Q&A with rock royalty Jesse Clegg
#MusicExchange: Rapid-fire Q&A with cool music man DJ Cosher