“When I am onstage, I finally matter in the great expanse of the universe. I am here, and I am here to tell a story. I am here to inspire; I am here to be who I am, unapologetically.” - Yahto Kraft.
Image by Henning Marko Swanepoel
Yahto Kraft
Vocalist / Songwriter / Actor / Designer
Pronouns: He/Him/They
I was born on the 1st of December 2000 in Vereeniging; I then moved to Alberton, shortly after. My family life was picture perfect, something out of an old- timey story book, with a mommy (Yolandi) and a daddy (Corne,) and when I was four, a little brother (Delsin). As a child, I danced around the living room in makeshift dresses and the one pair of booty heels that my mom owned and I just felt free to be who or whatever I wanted to. My family was so incredibly supportive from the get-go. I remember my dad sitting me down when I was super young and telling me, “The world is going to want to push you down and change you, but don’t let them. Don’t let them dull your shine and don’t take their negativity to heart”. Those are words that I live by to this day!
Another memory I have is watching Disney movies! I used to watch The Little Mermaid over and over again; so much so that I could quote it verbatim, word for word. I related to the characters and looking back, I related to the heroine’s journey of wanting to be where the people are, wanting to be part of something new and special. Little did I know, that special group of people was the LGBTQIA+ community. I had a fantastic childhood.
But that all changed when I was 6. My dad passed away while we were on vacation. Being that young, I didn't know how this affected me until I grew up. I suffer from memory loss due to trauma from that event and I am still struggling to come to terms with such a colossal loss. I never thought I'd be okay again, but then my guardian angel showed me how. My mother, my rock, my best friend. Being a single mom is like being a superhero, but my mom is more like Zeus than Batman. She raised me and my brother alone, gave us everything we wanted and more, she was and continues to be so incredibly strong, and I could never thank her enough for everything she's done for us.
If I am not mistaken, tablecloths played an important role in helping you express yourself when you were around 6 years old. Do you think that was how you initially created characters and some kind of fantasy?
Tablecloths played a massive part in my identity when I was a young’n. I used to create dresses, skirts, outfits, bunkers, forts and a myriad of other fantasy objects with a single tablecloth. It strengthened my creative flow and opened up my imagination to be broader than it was before.
With every fantasy, came a complex series of characters who lived in these worlds I created: from the old rich lady drinking tea in her kitchen to the forest sprite who was an absolute menace and ruined white tablecloths by running outside and hopping out of trees, every fantasy was fully formed and made up on the spot.
I am so astonished when I hear stories about that time, how complete these ideas were that I created. It inspires to this very day to push boundaries and try new creative ventures and look at art from another perspective.
What’s the story about you dressing up as Hannah Montana for a parade and your mom checking you for your bad wig?
Oh, you went digging! Okay so, I can't remember how old I was, I think it was either first or second grade. The school I went to had an alphabet parade and lucky me, I was given the letter H. My youngster brain immediately said “H is for Hannah- Hannah Montana.” I sprang into action. The assignment was to present a short introduction to your character and to have that tied into whatever letter you got. But baby Yahto had a different plan. I found a pink Hannah Montana t-shirt, an extremely cheap blond wig with bangs (obviously, the bangs were a key feature) and I learned all the words to Best of Both Worlds. I stepped onto that stage and lip-synced to the entire song, full choreography and full voice singing along. Everyone was either shocked and impressed or mortified. I stepped off stage and my mom just looked at me, hugged me and said, “I am so proud, you were incredible, but this wig is trash, let’s find you a better one”. So, we went out and found a little teal bob à la Hannah's best friend, Lily, who I related to on a more emotional level, you know, as a 7- or 6- year- old does. I still have this wig, and it’s in perfect condition.
You were around that same age when you started voice lessons- who was the person who identified your talent and realised that your incredible voice is a true gift that needs to be nurtured?
I went through singing teachers faster than anyone I've ever met! My first vocal teacher was a classically trained lady named Ida Strydom, and I owe everything to her. She helped me find my voice and taught me how to sing safely and healthily, even at 8 years old. She encouraged me to keep singing and trained me classically until I was about 12 years old. I then moved to another teacher to learn more about different styles like pop and rock, and she almost ruined my voice forever, so I then quickly shifted to a different teacher who actually knew what she was doing, the amazing Mrs Rennette Malherbe. I had a second coach at the same time, Mr Koert Kritsinger, who helped me with the more classical stuff. I was with them until I was about 15, and that is when I discovered Stageworx, a music school in Northview. I auditioned because I heard a friend of mine was in the school and was pursuing Musical Theatre full time. I auditioned to be in the school but the head mistress, the absolutely amazing Gemma Marinus Donelly, put me in Born To Perform at the Lyric Theatre. I owe my entire career to this woman. I always knew I wanted to be a performer, but she made the fire inside even bigger.
I don’t think it is a stretch at all to say that you are somewhat of a prodigy because at the age of 9, you were named the Junior World Champion for Acting at a ceremony in Los Angeles? What do you remember about that?
I remember stepping off the plane and feeling a sense of security. I was finally doing what I wanted to do since I was 6 years old. I did my performance pieces and the competition and made many friends along the way. But one of my friends really stood out. We had such an incredible time during the competition and formed a very closed bond. I remember hearing my name being called to announce that I had won Junior World Champion for acting and, instead of being excited that I had won, I was sad because my friend did not win. I went on stage to accept my medal, came down and told my friend that I was truly sorry that he did not win. Everyone around me was excited and had tears of joy, as I was one of the youngest Junior World Champions ever in the history of the competition in Los Angeles. I was in tears as well, but because my friend did not win. Looking back at it now, it is the empathy I had for my friend that I remember most. That would be an indication of my character for years to come. I love winning and being the best I can be, we all do. But not at the cost of other people. I want everyone to be successful and live their dream. I do not see myself as a prodigy – I am just fortunate to be able to do what I was born to do.
And then just a few years later, you make your musical theatre debut in 2010* as Michael Banks in Mary Poppins- looking back, what was that experience like?
Mary Poppins really opened my eyes, at a young age, about what it means to be in a show, even as a child actor. Everybody else was double casted, except me. There were 2 Mary Poppins’, 2 Janes, etc but only one Michael. Only me, playing Michael Banks, a few times a week on the Alberton Civic Centre Stage. I remember rehearsals being so much fun and at a read through I accidentally read the credits at the end of the scene, saying: “and thank you to……blah blah blah for writing the script” in front of everyone! I was mortified and everyone laughed at my “joke”. So, I was the centre of attention, and we know I love being the centre of attention! I also remember standing backstage and receiving a kiss on the cheek from my Jane Banks and just feeling ready to take on the show. Was that my first kiss? I digress. It was an incredible experience to be onstage in front of so many people, singing a few songs, being funny and looking absolutely fabulous!
*Yahto Kraft’s other stage and screen credits include Detention – an original Afrikaans Musical (Lead Role as Sebastian); Night with the Stars with the Johannesburg Youth Orchestra (soloist); and Moritz in a workshop of Spring Awakening. More recently, he performed in Born To Perform’s SHINE! in 2018 and 2019 at the Lyric and Teatro as a soloist and was cast in adaptations of Gone Too Soon and Charlie and The Chocolate Factory.
Queer children often don’t think of themselves as “different”, until society makes a point of telling them they are not what is considered “normal”. Can you remember one of the first instances of being othered?
I guess the Hannah Montana performance was one of the first times but something that I remember vividly in my brain was my outrageous fashion choices of tying shoelaces around my arms and wearing school clothes on weekends but funkafying them. I felt the people's stares at my back and remembered the whispers – “what is this child wearing? Who is this child? Who let their child run around like this?” And in short – my mom does. Because she believes in me. She let do what I wanted, within reason, as long as I was safe and as long as I am happy. I remember being different from I can remember and whatever people said behind my back. I never really listened to and never took it in. I guess I am lucky because my parents raised me to not take it personally when people do see you as other or different. They raised me to believe that being different is a very good thing. Being older now, I try to understand where people are coming from and why they are so afraid of people that are different. One instance I can remember when, as a teen or young adult performing in Born To Perform, I was in heels and a little crop top suit, a friend of mine said that his friend told him that my performance made him uncomfortable. He sat him down and ask whether it made him uncomfortable because I was overweight or because I am gay? The friend replied that he didn’t know. And then my friend asked: “Or is it because he is doing what you could not do at his age?” His friend burst out in tears and admitted that he was just jealous and that he didn’t have the guts to do what I am doing on stage. This tells me that I am on the right track and doing the right thing. We need to get out of our comfort zones and change the world.
Thankfully, the bullying didn’t stop you from continuing to excel in the entertainment industry. Did being on stage feel like a safe space for you?
Being on stage feels like coming home. It feels like the world stops spinning, in the best possible way. It feels like I can say whatever I want, do whatever I want because I am who I am finally with no preconceived notions on who I am supposed to be. When I am onstage, I finally matter in the great expanse of the universe. I am here, and I am here to tell a story. I am here to inspire; I am here to be who I am, unapologetically. My heart is home on stage. The first time I felt that was in the Lyric Theatre, 2016, with Born To Perform singing “Maybe This time”. After I sang, there was a moment of silence and then I heard a man thundering – “that boy can sing” I didn’t need to hear him say that, I didn’t need to hear the applause, the crowd roaring, to make me realise that I was home, that performing is my life. I think even since childhood I knew that in my deepest of heart. Being on stage is like hugging an old friend, it is like having a cup of hot chocolate on a winter’s day, like taking a nap after cooling off in the swimming pool on a warm summer’s day. It is home, it’s happiness, It’s me.
There was a bit of a rebellious streak in your teenage years- in an interview with Texx and the City, you said you were “shaking my ass up in Melville”. Do you think you just need some contrast to the rigorous training and schedules of musical theatre?
I was, to say the least, not a model teen. I went clubbing with my friends, bribing bartenders to get a drink. Partying like a rockstar. I was (and still am, I hope) the life of the party. I still love a good party. It was definitely a contrast to the rigorous training and schedules, but it was also a chance to connect and let go. I take my work very seriously. I like being in control. I am a little bit of a control freak like that. But when I am chilling, dancing on tables, having a couple of drinks, I totally let go. I love that feeling, it being in such a stark contrast as what I was doing each day. Waking up at six, having breakfast, meditating then going to college, having my classes. Minute by minute planned out. So, when the weekend finally came around and I could let go I did it in full force. P.S: Nobody was harmed in Yahto shaking his ass up in Melville. Maybe a few hearts were broken, but no one got hurt.
Photo by Henning Marko Swanepoel
Mainstream audiences will probably recognise you from season 3 of The Voice South Africa, and you also decided to use that platform to speak out about violence against the LGBTIAQ+ community. What did it feel right to do that during that time?
This one day I was interviewed, and news was just received about the way that LGBTIAQ+ people were treated in Russia, with the concentration camps and the extreme violence against them. This did not only break my heart, but also lit a flame under my ass to do something. To say something. One of my favourite things to say and that I take with me every day is – if people are not going to listen, you have to scream. And that is exactly what I was doing. No one was listening and I was screaming. To have such a massive platform and to talk out about something as serious as violence against LGBTIAQ+ people was incredible. The feedback that I got thanking me for finally sharing, for talking about such a dark topic on such a light-hearted show, was phenomenal. I had to do that. It burned inside of me, made me angry and I had to address it.
You also spoke about being surprised that you received more fatphobic than homophobic hate while on the show. Why are people so obsessed with other people’s bodies?
It is weird! Very few people are truly happy with their bodies. If you are fat, lose weight and become skinny, you will still not be satisfied. You will still feel you need to change to be perfect. And because nobody is happy with their body, they project that onto other people. The media gives this fake idea of how people should look. We need to look inside ourselves and find wholeness in ourselves. If you as a person can truly say that you are whole and complete, and you still want to judge other people – then go for it. If you are an entire human within your soul and you still feel the need to judge other people, I can’t give you any advice because that is your journey. True wholeness comes from looking away from other people, looking within, not judging other people for their weight, race, skin-color, sexuality or gender. People are obsessed with other people’s bodies because they are uncomfortable with their own. This is a way bigger issue than whether somebody is fat, skinny, ugly or whatever.
I know body positivity is very important to you- what is your message to anyone who is struggling with their body image?
Everybody struggles with their body image. Although I am very body confident, I too struggle with that. But I say to myself in the mirror – “you got this; you are stunning”. It is positive affirmations that get you through the day. Look at yourself in the mirror every morning and every night, just being in your underwear (or even naked!) and say: “I am happy, I am healthy, I am loved, I am successful'.' It is not only good for your body image but it is also good for your mental health. You need to rewire your brain to love the skin you're in. If you have a particularly bad day, pop on heels, a red lipstick and dance naked in front of the mirror. Just shake it! We are so fortunate to even have a body. How fortunate are you just to wake up this morning and to breathe? To be able to feel. (“feel the rain on your skin, no one else can feel it for you” -Unwritten, Natasha Bedingfield, you're welcome). We are lucky to be alive.
Image by PJ Hougaard
I think your debut single, Ugly, is a powerful statement about self-worth. I know the track was written in 2016 and only released in April 2020- do you think the message behind the song evolved during that time?
The message behind Ugly has definitely evolved. At the time I wrote the song about a boy that broke my heart but now it is more an anthem to anyone that ever doubted me, to anyone that ever called me ugly. Not just that one boy. I spent a lot of time with the song and it became an anthem to anyone that has ever been called fat, ugly, thin. Everyone that has been othered or bullied. I can’t be so selfish as to make Ugly just about me. So, inviting other people’s experiences and having that effect how I perform it, has been absolutely incredible and made the song that more emotional to me. The message behind the song is now – do what you want and ignore everybody that tells you to do something that doesn’t make you a whole human being. Do what makes you happy, not just on your face, but also in your heart. Do what gives you butterflies in your stomach. Do what creates electricity in your veins. Ignore the people who call you ugly. Your life is not about them or their opinions, but about you.
As you continue to write and record your own original material, what- if anything- have you discovered about yourself?
I discovered that I really enjoy writing music! I never thought that I would. I always thought that I would be strictly a musical theatre performer. But -since 2016- I have realised that I have so many thoughts in my brain, and journaling just doesn't do it for me. Writing songs is my version of a memoir. If you trace all my songs back and eventually put them in chronological order it tells my life story. It is like a diary that I love to share and hear people’s opinions about. I write music to have people feel things. Not always necessarily good things. The issues we address might be something that you previously did not want to deal with. Wanted to hide from. I want people to know they are not alone. That others have similar experiences. And survived. I also realised that there are things from my past that I need to evolve from, take things from it and transcend that into words. I will speak my truth and I will stand up for the underdogs like me.
Tell me more about your fashion label, Haus of Kraft (and will there be a tablecloth-inspired capsule collection?)
This fashion label will probably be the death of me- lol. It is something that I always wanted to do. To create clothes for people like me. People who like looking different and are perhaps a bit bigger, a bit smaller than the average size. One sees things on the runway, in the streets and thinks - I can never wear that. What I want to accomplish with Haus of Kraft is to let people realise they too CAN wear that. As long as you are comfortable and happy. My fashion line will be hopefully launched in 2021. It is a lot more admin that I expected. And maybe the main voyage of Haus of Kraft will be a tablecloth inspired collection. You just might have read my mind there. Don’t know how you did it- lol
Image by Henning Marko Swanepoel
Lastly, what do you want your legacy to be?
I want people to remember me. Period. I don’t want to fade into the background. I want to make a difference in people’s lives. I want people to feel something when they think of me – might that be good, bad or otherwise. I will not be forgotten. And I want to make sure that my community is not forgotten. I will stand up for anyone who doesn’t have a voice. And I will shut anyone up who has too much of a voice. I want my legacy to be something that is not tied to me, but to us as a collective. We are under the same sky; we are all under the same sun, and that is what I want people to take from this journey. It is not a singular experience. You need to get out of your brain and realise that life is not a singular experience. And maybe a Tony or two? Couple of Grammys? That wouldn’t hurt -lol
Be You
Be True
Be Blue
Image by Henning Marko Swanepoel
