South African Singer-Songwriter JAID RIVER Releases New EP MARIONET

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Following the release of her deeply personal and critically acclaimed debut album ‘Verlanger’ in 2023, South African singer-songwriter JAID RIVER returns with a brand-new four-track EP titled MARIONET, available from 8 August 2025 on all digital platforms. The project marks a clear artistic evolution for JAID and is accompanied by the official music video for the title track, released on the same day.

With MARIONET, JAID steps beyond autobiographical songwriting and enters a theatrical world of characters, symbolism, and introspective questions about identity, freedom, and the choices we make. She describes the EP as a creative turning point in her career – a project where stories are intentionally told from multiple perspectives, with distinct characters conveying the themes and ideas in a fresh and imaginative way.

The EP consists of four unique songs, each with its own tone and narrative, yet bound together by a common thread: connection – to people, dreams, fears, and even ideas about who we’re supposed to be.

MARIONET TRACKLIST:

1. Geskryf

The EP opens with a powerful reflection on human complexity and our drive to understand one another. “It’s a song about diversity and the fact that we will never fully understand or know one another – there is always something new to be discovered,” says JAID.

2. Marionet

The title track and the heart of the EP poses a core question: To what are you bound? With a dreamy atmosphere and piercing lyrics, the song explores the tension between control and freedom, and between the life we choose and the one chosen for us. This track set the tone and direction for the entire project.

3. Prentjies (8ste Straat) ft. Thys Nortje

A duet with the talented Thys Nortje, who also wrote the original lyrics. Rich in detail and imagery, it paints vivid sonic pictures – “a soundtrack in snapshots.” It’s the only track on the EP not written by JAID herself, but her emotional delivery brings the story to life with striking nuance.

4. Stêrrekyker

JAID laughs as she describes Stêrrekyker as “that song that was only finished the same week we had to record it!” Inspired by a line from Sarah Williams’ poem The Old Astronomer and His Pupil, the song asks: Is what you want bigger than your fear of failure? As the closing track, it serves as a poetic call to bravery and self-belief.

Filmed on 28 May 2025 at the Pierneef Theatre in Pretoria, the music video for MARIONET was directed by GP van der Merwe, with concept development by JAID alongside her sister Ingre Minnie and friend Izé van der Westhuizen.

Choreographed by Trudy-Anne Fredericks, the video features dancer Melissa Van Rooyen and JAID’s cousin Ruach Viljoen, who add visual depth to the song’s emotional landscape. Music producer Jaco Smit and musician André Smit also make appearances in the performance.

The use of contrasting dance styles – Melissa’s controlled, precise movements against Ruach’s unfiltered joy – symbolises the tension between who we think we need to be and who we truly are.

“I didn’t want to create a music video just for the sake of it,” says JAID. “I wanted something that added to the song’s story – not by explaining it, but by making you feel it. This is my most ambitious video yet, and also my favourite.”

JAID describes ‘Verlanger’, her debut album, as a decade-long collection of stories – twelve songs that encapsulate ten years of experience, growth, and dreaming. In contrast, MARIONET was written over just three years (2022–2025), with a greater sense of focus, intention, and self-awareness.

“I quickly realised a second project is much harder. You’re constantly trying to outdo yourself. But I learned that it’s not about being ‘better’ – it’s about being true. Doing your best with what you have in that moment.”

The EP was once again produced by Jaco Smit, who also worked on ‘Verlanger’, with creative collaboration with Thys Nortje. What makes MARIONET a timeless body of work is the combination of character-driven storytelling, experimental production, and theatrical aesthetics. It’s a work of art that seeks not just to comfort or entertain, but to spark questions – questions each listener must answer for themselves.

“I hope MARIONET inspires people to ask: Is what I want greater than my fear? We’re all bound to something, whether we realise it or not – and I hope this music shines a bit of light on that. It’s music that asks instead of tells, and I think that’s exactly what I needed to create right now.”