Jeremy Loops

South African musician Jeremy Loops, who entered the world as Jeremy Hewitt in Kommetjie near Cape Town, built his reputation as a contemporary folk performer and committed environmental advocate. Loop pedals formed the core of his concerts, where he wove in sounds drawn from hip-hop, electronica, and indigenous African traditions.

Once his education concluded, an urge to leave South Africa led him to work aboard a yacht, where solitary hours in his cabin fostered extended guitar sessions. A loop pedal allowed him to layer drum beats, bass lines, and vocal harmonies, and within two years this process had shaped a distinctive approach and body of material. Back home he helped establish Greenpop, an urban-greening initiative that, after planting its thousandth tree, marked the occasion with a party at Cape Town’s Assembly venue. In his dual role as co-founder and event organizer, Loops placed himself onstage as the opening performer, marking his debut appearance before an audience.

The five-track self-titled EP he issued in 2011 gained wide attention and showcased regular onstage partners Motheo Moleko on vocals and Jamie Faull on saxophone. Their live shows quickly generated strong demand, taking them to leading festivals across South Africa and internationally. Recognition arrived with the MK Male Solo Artist of the Year honor in 2013, followed by the Best Live Act award at the same event in 2014.

Trading Change, his first complete album, appeared that same year and reached the top of the iTunes South Africa chart. It incorporated refreshed versions of the six songs from his 2011 EP, while lead single Down South climbed to number one on South Africa’s three foremost radio outlets. The record reached the United States the next year, supported by a promotional tour on which Loops opened for California roots-reggae outfit Rebelution. He also joined American duo Twenty One Pilots for dates across Europe, though the run ended abruptly in November 2015 after the terror attacks in Paris. Early in 2016 he launched his own European headline itinerary, Continental Drift.