Denzil Pillay is a force to be reckoned with. His voice delivers a powerful message in his new song, “Can You Move Your Body”.
The Phoenix-born singer and songwriter is just getting started. Known as Denzyl in the music industry, he was introduced to music at the tender age of 5 when his dad (the lead singer in an ’80s band called Passion) wrote a gospel song for him to sing at church.
His dad also taught him how to play the guitar at a young age and, by the time he was 7 years old, he was killing it by playing classics such as “Hotel California” by the Eagles, “Born to be Wild" by Steppenwolf and a few Raiders instrumentals.
Serving at many local churches with his musical skills, Pillay went on to become the praise and worship leader at Phoenix Baptist Church.
“I enjoy creating my own style of music and fortunately it has been heard at some places. I enjoy watching my songs grow. It is like watching my children grow. Every small step excites me.
“I can remember the first song on my debut EP, ‘Look Up’, which got playlisted on seven radio stations with no campaigns behind it. Hearing my songs play on the radio, being on a frequent radio playlist is very fulfilling,” he said.
Pillay has written 48 songs but has only released six so far and still has 42 more to record.
His latest single, “Can You Move Your Body”, tells the story of a beautiful black woman named Lolo, who sparks the interest of the writer about the way she moves and inspires the people on the dance floor.
The writer actually wants to take her home because of her dance moves, which made an impression on him.
The song is now sitting at just over 100 000 views on social media platforms. It is also receiving airplay on many major South African radio stations.
When asked about the lessons he learned that helped make him a better artist, Pillay said growing up in a musical family where everything is musical and everyone has different tastes shaped him into becoming a great songwriter.
He added that he would like to see where his passion takes him and would definitely like to get into theme writing for movies and advertisements.
And if he would change one thing about the music industry, it would be, “Bringing back the real sentimental value of music”.
“I speak of the re-discovery of the authenticity of music instead of an overly manufactured or processed sound that you hear now,” said Pillay.