Watershed

Watershed first rose to prominence as one of South Africa’s standout musical acts abroad after the single “Indigo Girl” reached the summit of the German pop charts. The Johannesburg-based acoustic rock band formed in 1998 as the creative outlet for singer and songwriter Craig Warren Hinds, who had previously studied English and history in high school. Following several personnel shifts in its early period, the lineup settled around guitarist Paul McIver, bassist Vernon Hodgetts, drummer Tulsa Pittaway, and viola player Lizzie Rennie. The group secured a deal with EMI South Africa in 1999 and released In the Meantime the next year; the opening single “Shine on Me” quickly established national recognition, while “Indigo Girl” and “Letters” elevated the band to widespread domestic fame. A German radio DJ who encountered “Indigo Girl” during a South African vacation reportedly took the track back to his home country and began airing it on SWR3, propelling the song into an unexpected European hit that extended the group’s profile beyond its origins. In 2003 the band introduced Wrapped in Stone with a high-profile concert at Johannesburg’s Nelson Mandela Square; the album marked keyboardist Graham Smith’s first appearance and proved to be McIver’s final recording before his departure at the close of the year, at which point guitarist Nic Rush took his place. Ahead of Mosaic in 2005, Hinds once more revised the roster so that only Rush carried over, joined by bassist Ozzy, keyboardist Hylton Brooker, and drummer Peter Auret. Rennie returned to the fold in April 2006.