From Parow to Spinach: the mask comes off

After touring in Europe, Afrikaans rapper Jack Parow has wrapped up his European tour and is preparing to head back to South Africa for the summer to drop his newest project, Parow Tjoef.

At the weekend, Parow became the seventh celebrity reveal on season three of The Masked Singer SA. The Bang Babbelas hitmaker spoke about his experience in disguise as “Spinach”.

“Being on The Masked Singer SA was such a great experience. It’s such a lekker show to be a part of, and I’m thankful to have been invited,” he said.

“I just finished my European tour, and I’m heading back to South Africa soon for this summer. [One thing people might not be aware of is that] I’ve done a few cameos on a couple of TV shows, but being part of The Masked Singer SA was so different. It was the first time I was on a show that judged my singing abilities.

“It was a bit of a challenge, as my voice is recognisable, as you saw with J-Something throwing my name in the hat from my first performance, even though my main focus was to try by any means to change the tone and pitch of my voice.”

While the show demanded more skills from him to fully lock in, the rapper said that maintaining a packed performance schedule, averaging two to three shows a week, was his hardest challenge.

“I always love pushing myself into different areas or trying things I haven’t before, and this was one of those,” he said.

Being “Spinach” allowed Parow to step outside his signature persona, which shifted him into an area he had not previously explored on TV.

“I’m proud to be almost 20 years in the industry and still selling out shows and being able to tour the world,” he said.

“It’s just been a mindblowing journey, and I’m so thankful for the love and support from my fans, and hopefully there are still many years left.”

As he looks ahead to the next chapter, Parow said his focus is simple: making music, performing and taking the time to appreciate the journey.

“I’m just concentrating on making new music, playing shows and most of all enjoying the journey, as it’s easy to become overwhelmed and rush through it all without realising how amazing the path is,” he said.

Sowetan