The SaxbyTwins hid their musical talents for most of their lives, tentative of what their peers may think of them. Since going public with their skills five years ago, their viral single Falling For You has garnered hundreds of thousands of streams and has taken over the South African social media scene. They spoke to MatieMedia’s Tim Malinzi.
The SaxbyTwins’ Falling For You went viral on TikTok after users created a dance trend based on the song. PHOTO: Instagram/SaxbyTwins
Twin brothers Kyle and Wayde Saxby always knew that they were talented vocalists, but never showed off their skills, fearing they would be rejected by friends.
This was until a bonfire gathering in late 2017. Singing along to the music, the twins’ harmonies caught the attention of a passerby.
“That’s so cool. You guys are twins and you both can sing,” the stranger told the Saxbys. The very next day, Kyle and Wayde launched an Instagram account to showcase their musical abilities.
Five years later, that same Instagram account is verified with close to 10 000 followers. Their TikTok account has over 25 500 followers, largely due to the success of a dance trend based on their song Falling For You which has amassed over 4 300 separate videos across the platform. The hit single currently has over 345 000 listens on Spotify and reached the top position in the Spotify Viral Top 50 Chart for South Africa in December 2021.
The SaxbyTwins Spotify profile currently boasts over 29 000 monthly listeners and there seems to be no sign of their momentum halting.
“The numbers and stuff are cool, but we can’t focus on them for too long,” says Wayde. “We love our fans and appreciate all the support. So, it’s really important for us to keep on providing music that they will enjoy.”
Twin brothers Kyle (left) and Wayde (right) Saxby have celebrated recent success as upcoming pop artists in the South African music scene. They spoke to MatieMedia about their journey so far and their plans for the future. PHOTO: Tim Malinzi
Calm, cool and collected
The SaxbyTwins live in Stellenbosch where they share a residence with six of their closest friends. Balancing their studies and music careers is a tough challenge, according to the twins, but the duo are determined to make it work.
Leaning back on the couch with his feet on the coffee table, Kyle says that the two of them “never really get nervous” despite their growing success and the attention they receive.
“Everything is happening so quickly. It’s not easy but we kind of just go with the flow and know that everything will work out,” says Kyle.
Wayde echoes his brother’s sentiments, noting how signing a record deal with Universal Music Group’s South African branch in January 2022 felt like “a natural step”.
Despite the growing amount of pressure and attention, the brothers make a conscious effort to remain calm and humble, they say.
The SaxbyTwins Spotify page has over 29 000 monthly listeners. Their hit song Falling For You has over 345 000 listens on the platform. PHOTO: Tim Malinzi
Thanks, Mom and Dad
“I like to think our parents raised us well,” Kyle says. 24KGoldn’s Company is playing in the background. Kyle credits the twins’ musical talent to the fact that their mother is a piano teacher. Although they’re no longer ten-year-olds singing for their family around the Christmas table, the brothers still hold their mom’s opinion in high regard.
Their dad, on the other hand, is a huge sports fanatic. His undying passion for cricket is something he instilled in the twins at an early age. So much so that, growing up, cricket was always Plan A for the twins. Singing was kept in their back pockets.
“We had plans to be professional cricketers,” says Kyle. “That was our initial dream.”
The duo played provincial cricket while at school in Johannesburg, but were also keen rugby players and represented their school’s first teams in both sports. However, by the time the twins turned 19, music had completely taken over as their number one passion.
The twins were “sporty guys” at high school, having represented their school at a first team level in both cricket and rugby. PHOTO: Tim Malinzi
Singers at heart
The twins explain how their reputation as “sporty guys” at school held them back from truly pursuing singing. “We always thought our mates were going to think: ‘These guys are weird…like singing and stuff. This is so weird.’ So, we never really went public with the whole singing thing,” says Wayde.
Looking back, the twins note that it was wrong of them to intentionally hold back their talents because of what others may think of them. According to Kyle, when the twins gave music a proper go, they became happier because they were doing something they love.
“They honestly love what they do,” says Hayden Byrne, a close friend and housemate of the twins. “Wayde has told me at least 20 times that if he could perform on stage every day, he would. These guys have passion.”
The twins regularly write down new goals for themselves and stick them on their walls, which they were excited to show off. Their walls are currently covered with pieces of paper that express their ambitions to reach one million streams across all music platforms, tour the country and become the biggest pop-genre act in South Africa.
“The long-term goal is to go on world tours and release albums,” says Wayde. “Things have been progressing so fast that I genuinely don’t think there’s a limit to what we can do.”
The immediate future for the twins involves them releasing new singles, doing live performances, and other “secret surprises” they’re keeping close to their chest.
The twins regularly write down goals and affirmations to remind themselves of what they want to achieve in their careers. Pictured is one of the many pieces of paper stuck on Wayde’s bedroom wall. PHOTO: Tim Malinzi
Brothers first, everything second
Brett Wood met the brothers in his first year of studies and has remained close friends with them ever since. “They’re basically the same person,” jokes Wood. “I don’t mean that in a bad way, obviously they’re individuals. It’s just that they have this bond that I guess only twins can have.”
When questioned about musical influences, the twins promptly utter “Ed Sheeran” in unison, as if practised.
It’s almost odd to think that South Africa would have been deprived of the viral phenomenon known as the SaxbyTwins had it not been for one girl extending a seemingly mindless comment at a bonfire party.
“Ever since that girl helped us overcome that hurdle of not really wanting to put ourselves out there, we’ve been living by a motto,” says Kyle. The twins say their motto, again in unison: “Do you, be you and stay true.”
Kyle and Wayde share a bond “only twins can have”, according to Brett Wood, a close friend of the brothers. PHOTO: Tim Malinzi