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Esjay Jones teams up with Alien Ant Farm for a brand new single and SA tour


Los Angeles – South African born producer and songwriter, Esjay Jones, will return to South Africa in October 2017 to join multi-platinum selling rockers, Alien Ant Farm, on the first three shows of their five-date tour. 

Esjay also collaborated with Alien Ant Farm frontman, Dryden Mitchell, on the brand new single Bonfire which is out on Friday 22 September across digital platforms worldwide.

Watch a teaser video for the song here:

In one sentence from Dryden, Bonfire is summed up as "When wood burns, it stays its shape but it will never be as it once was … the shell is there but it’s gone somehow."

"Dryden was my date to the Grammy’s in 2014, we had an instant connection and have been great friends ever since our first label-introduced writing session," says Esjay. “We have written many songs together that have not been released, so when the South African tour was 100% locked in, we jumped on the opportunity to release our first proper collaboration. We wrote and recorded the song in the celebrity suite at the Hard Rock Hotel in Palm Springs, California, which was a magical and unforgettable experience – I always have to pinch myself when I realise that I am writing music and am friends with people we used to watch on MTV in South Africa!"

Esjay has had over a decade of success in the music industry and during the first part she cemented herself as one of SA’s top female rock vocalists fronting Durban-based rock band, Stealing Love Jones. The band achieved mainstream success with singles Kicks, A Little Easier, Out There and Limozeen, and shared the stage with major international bands such as Fall Out Boy, Violent Femmes, Jimmy Eat World and Groove Armada.

After the success of Stealing Love Jones, Esjay made the move to Los Angeles in 2009 where she was discovered by Tom Maffei of Primary Wave Management and introduced to Zach Katz (BMG) and JR Rotem who signed her to a Publishing deal with Beluga Heights.

Esjay has been a part of compositions for Sean Kingston, Jeffree Star, Disney, Netflix, Fabletics, TimeFlies, Escape The Fate, Mystery Skulls with Nile Rodgers and brandy, Alien Ant Farm, Cara Frew and many other Top 40 artists. Esjay co-wrote and produced the Locnville single Grapevine feat Sabi which was the first single from the duo’s current album Taste The Weekend and one of the biggest single releases in SA of 2016.

Esjay has received praise for some of the biggest names in the music industry.

In 2014, Esjay teamed up with Gina Schock of the Go Go’s and Trey Vittetoe who have penned songs for Selena Gomez, Miley Cyrus and many other influential artists. "Esjay Jones is so very talented that I could go on forever. She blows my mind every time we work together. Her voice, her songwriting, her production skills, the list goes on and on. She is the real deal!" comments Schock.

Grammy nominated mixing engineer, Ariel Chobaz, who has worked with the likes of Nicki Minaj, Justin Bieber and Drake, had great things to say about working with the talented Esjay. "Esjay lives and breathes music, it’s a part of her being and she brings that dedication to every project. She is an incredible producer and writer and I can't say enough about her!" 

Esjay is currently working alongside actress Taryn Manning (Orange Is The New Black, 8 Mile, Hustle&Flow) on her new record. Manning launched her solo singing career in 2009 and is the vocalist for the electronic duo Boomkat.

Catch Esjay Jones live in South Africa with Alien Ant Farm on the following dates:

27 October – GoodLuck Bar, Johannesburg
28 October – Arcade Empire Halloween Party, Voortrekker Monument, Pretoria
31 October – Virgina Airfield, Durban

Alien Ant Farm live in Cape Town

03 November – Mercury Live, Cape Town 
04 November – Mercury Live, Cape Town 

Tickets are available here.

For more info on the tour visit middle8’s official website, like their Facebook page or follow then n Twitter and Instagram.


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