Cailyn Shelby, a 19-year-old singer and songwriter from Milnerton, released her debut single, My Four Friends, last week.
Cailyn says she has been singing for as long as she can remember.
It was the pandemic and its restrictions that gave her the idea for the song, she says, with the “four friends” being the four walls of her bedroom where she has spent most of her time writing songs.
The tune and lyrics came to her in August last year as she was sitting at a window and noticed a few more cars on the road, “as if we were returning back to normal”.
She says she realised the song would be popular when she tried the tune out on the keyboard, but she has been surprised by just how much radio time it’s had since its release on Wednesday August 4.
My Four Friends played on five radio stations, including Kfm’s weekly top-40 list, last week.
Caylin says the song is about finding security and happiness in your own company.
Her producers, Marc Ronin and Sergio Trout, have managed to capture the originality of her voice and thoughts, she says.
“I don’t really like speaking to people about my feelings and emotions, so it comes out in my songs. I find that the walls in my bedroom are wiser than me, and I find comfort that they will never tell anyone about my secrets. Just a silly thought, incorporated into a song.”
Cailyn can play the guitar and the ukulele and she appeared in school productions as a Milnerton High School pupil.
At 16, she auditioned for Idols South Africa but did not reach the live auditions, which she says left her thinking she wasn’t good enough.
But the new single has boosted her confidence.
“I am now living out that dream,” she says.
Her family and friends have supported her every step of the way, she says.
“My friends have shown support and wished the song was actually about them.”
Cailyn is now working on her next song, to be released later this year, as well as a My Four Friends music video set for release on Wednesday August 18. The song is available on most online platforms.