Cape Town-based Liam Burger is one of SA’s fastest-rising singer-songwriters. A late bloomer in the music industry, Liam only started playing guitar and singing at 19. He has not let his late start slow him down but instead used it to boost an already growing successful music career, which started with a 15-second clip entered into a competition that gave him an opportunity to play to a 15 000-capacity crowd at one of Cape Town’s biggest music festivals, KDAY.

Liam’s nostalgic but modern songwriting style saw his debut single, “Take It Slow”, burst onto the SA radio scene and succeed on chart shows nationwide.

After the success of his first three songs, Liam took advantage of the lockdown period and wrote multiple hit singles, leading to his debut EP Wide Awake, in December 2021.

The all-embracing 7-track debut EP includes earlier popular singles “Take it Slow” and “When I Met You” are included, along with brand new tracks “Falling Apart” (which is currently charting on the Algoa FM Top 30 and MIX FM Top 40 charts), “Wide Awake” and “Some Love”.

The EP shares its title with the opening single, “Wide Awake”, and Liam delves into why this is not just the first track on the EP but also its title, saying, “Wide Awake” is the song that the entire EP formed around. Just after the release of my first single, the country went into hard lockdown, and all my plans placed on hold. I have always struggled with self-confidence, and after releasing my first single, that feeling amplified. I realised that releasing music is a very vulnerable thing to do as you put yourself out there to be judged by the world. Last year I went through a period of self-doubt. Was I good enough? Should I be doing this? Do people like me? And so on. After chatting to another musician who had gone through a similar experience, we spoke for hours about music and what it means to us. After having that chat, I decided to write down all my insecurities, doubts, and fears. Identifying what was causing these feelings and my fears, I realised this was normal and showed that I cared a lot about my actions. The EP lists everything I had been worrying about and that I should just get on with it, wake up and chase my dreams.”

Liam’s talent and remarkable songwriting skills have not gone unnoticed, as he recently inked a deal with the major music publishing house, Gallo Music Publishers. Liam joins a prestige group of writers and home of some of South Africa’s top talent. Gallo Music Publishers GM, Rob Cowling, is excited to have Liam as part of the writing family, saying, “It’s always a pleasure as a publisher when you experience that special song that pricks up your ears, tugs at the emotions and showcases a talent previously unnoticed or poised to break out. “When I Met You” was that song for me, and its creator Liam Burger was the man behind my tapping feet. I had to pursue this further, discover this refreshing new songwriter performer on the SA music scene, and explore the depths of the creative. I was pleasantly surprised at the songs and body of work already released but more so by the amazing voice behind the commitment to a recording career and Liam’s gift and ability to write quality music and lyrics. A publishing deal with Gallo Music Publishers was inevitable, and we are beyond happy to reach an agreement to represent Liam and share these creations with the world.”

Liam Burger launched into 2022 with the release and subsequent success of his collaboration with DJ Cosher on the single “Sound of Silence”. He releases his first solo single of 2022 with ‘Sofa’, which is out now across all streaming platforms.

Following the release of “Sound of Silence”, Liam battled with a health issue which kept him from creating and releasing more music. He has since recovered and is stronger than ever, evident in the energy of his brand-new single “Sofa”.

Liam explains that the song is about the recurring anxiety and fear of his health scare, as well as the pressure to top his previous release. “The first version of “Sofa” was a sad acoustic ballad, and originally, I wasn’t going to release it. After working with another producer on one of my songs, the current version of “Sofa” was born.”

“Sofa” is the first from a batch of music written by Liam over the past few months to bring light out of a dim situation. “Rather than make a bad situation worse with a somber, sad song, I wanted to make a song that people can bounce and have a good time too,” says Liam. “Sofa” is a mix of the elements Liam likes from today’s pop music mixed with his singer/songwriter lyrics.