TIAN NIENABER

produced by Deon Dee & Ruan Graaff
sound, mix & master by Dee Graaff Productions
music video, artwork & photos: Jannes De Villiers – Moving North Media

South African Singer-Songwriter Tian Nienaber delivers a commanding new single and video for his first Afrikaans release called ‘Hemel Se Deur’ (Heaven’s Door).
Tian Nienaber:
“This song was originally written about 15 years ago. Naturally, it’s been worked on a bit over the years but the core message and most of the lyrics have remained the same. The song was written after I lost a very close friend at the age of 12. So this was one of the first songs I ever wrote. I decided to release it now as I feel like it’s the last bit of closure I needed to heal. I remember as a kid that I thought of stars as the souls of everyone that’s left us and that they are now part of the eternal life after death. A phrase that always stayed with me is that some people bring so much light into our lives that the light remains even after they are gone. A lot like stars. I wanted this song to be a bit more digestible than my other music as it’s a very universal message. We all have to deal with the death of a loved one at some stage in our lives. So I want people to feel like I do about it. It isn’t goodbye, it’s until we meet again. Until we’re all back home and together again.”
Tian Nienaber is a South African Indie Alternative Singer-Songwriter who started his career in the Music Industry at the age of 17 as a Sound Engineer and Rigger.
For the first 6 years of his career, Tian spent a lot of time on the road with copious artists and assisted several sizeable festivals (learning as much as possible about the industry, whilst building invaluable relationships).
Tian has been playing guitar and writing music since the age of 12, so it came as no surprise that he decided to follow his dream to become a Performing Artist after experiencing the Music Industry behind-the-scenes.
The past 6 years Tian has been performing his formidable brand of Indie Alternative full-time, playing notable festivals like ‘Alternatief Is Groot’, ‘Zeegunst’ and ‘STRAB’.
Tian has opened for top South African artists like Francois van Coke, Fokofpolisiekar and Die Heuwels Fantasties, in addition to appearing on TV Shows like ‘Die Groot Ontbyt’ (Kyknet) and ‘Doodgewone Jo’ with Jo Black (Via/DSTV).
In 2021 Tian released his first original material with his debut single and video ‘Hurting Love’ (produced by Peach Van Pletzen at ‘Planet Awesome’).
It received critical acclaim globally, with charting positions on the TOP 40 in South Africa and Banks Radio Australia, whilst winning the Banger Music Award in the US for ‘Best Solo Artist 2021’.
Tian followed this up in 2022 with his sophomore single ‘Soldier On’ with further resounding success.
Now Tian is back with his first Afrikaans song called ‘Hemel Se Deur’ (‘Heaven’s Door’) on Friday 27 October 2023.