Influence Profile
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Trending in Jurie Els’s World
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20 Goue Treffers
Released Sep 4, 2015
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Quick Facts
From
South Africa
South Africa
Journey
A television quiz show win in 1991 became the unexpected starting point for one of the more extensive songwriting and recording careers in Afrikaans music. That moment, on “Noot vir Noot,” introduced Jurie Els to a national audience, but his foundation in music had already been forming quietly through writing and performance long before the spotlight arrived.
Rather than entering the industry purely as a singer, his early strength sat in songwriting. From the mid-1980s onward, he built a reputation behind the scenes, contributing material that would later be recorded by a wide range of Afrikaans artists. That writing base gave him a different kind of longevity, one that did not rely only on chart visibility but on consistent creative output.
His transition into a full recording career took shape in the early to mid-1990s, with projects like “Vat-Vat” (1995) marking a clear commercial breakthrough. The album reached platinum status and established him as a viable solo artist, not just a writer. From there, his catalogue expanded steadily, covering Afrikaans pop, gospel-influenced material, and country-leaning storytelling formats that resonated strongly with local audiences.
Across the late 1990s and early 2000s, he became a regular presence under major labels such as Sony and BMG, releasing numerous albums and compilations. His output included both solo projects and collaborative releases, with “Duet met Patricia Lewis” standing out as one of his more recognised joint efforts. Several of his albums achieved gold status, and overall sales of his work crossed significant commercial milestones within the Afrikaans market.
At the same time, his songwriting activity never slowed. With hundreds of compositions credited to his name and recordings by dozens of artists, his influence extended far beyond his own discography. His work reached performers such as Patricia Lewis, Sonja Herholdt, and Gé Korsten, reinforcing his position as both a creator and collaborator within the industry.
In his personal life, he married Hestrie Cloete in 2005, adding a public dimension that connected music and sport within South African media. A few years later, in 2010, he relocated with his family to New Zealand, where his pace of recording slowed significantly.
By 2016, he had stepped away from full-time involvement in the music business, shifting toward smaller ventures, including record trading through his business, Retro Records. While no longer active at the level of his peak years, his catalogue and songwriting contributions continue to circulate within Afrikaans music spaces.
Across his career, the pattern remains consistent: a songwriter first, a recording artist second, and a long-term contributor whose influence is measured as much in the success of others as in his own releases.