The original Cutting Jade formed in 1998 and therefore is by no means a new band in the sense of being inexperienced or new to the music game. Their first demo single was released to South Africa's largest campus station TUKS FM (then still Radio TUKS) in late 1998 and reached number one on the station's SA Top 10. The same song also made it to number 10 on the station's Top 30, the first unsigned band ever to feature at all on that chart. Similar success was experienced with the second demo they submitted, and Cutting Jade, the rock band with the emotional songs, the passionate lead singer and the beautiful female bassist, became superstars in their home town, packing out venues as diverse as nightclubs and the entire University piazza with equal ease.


"So there we were", was Cutting Jade’s first independently released album and can best be described as an emotional rock album with relevant and accessible lyrics. Their intention has never been to baffle audiences with erudite lyrics or impress them with technical complexity any more than it has been to be part of any musical fashion or trend.

Cutting Jade then signed to the David Gresham Record Company late in 2001 and brought out their second contribution entitled "Between two Lives". Ten Seconds, the first single off the album, skyrocketed the band nationally, becoming Cutting Jade's first top 40 no.1 hit, receiving excellent air play on 5fm and breaking many campus radio station records. The song marked a slight departure from the "So there we were" sound but is a fine example of how this band has gone from strength to strength. Look at me now, the second single off the album proved to be a similar success, further highlighting the band's bold new sound and yet still capturing a tenderness which somehow does not seem out of place, a paradoxical sound which the band are becoming masters of. "Between two lives" is an album packed with raw emotion, driving guitars and passionate vocal deliveries.

Cutting Jade have not only been a national success but have embarked on an International career by being invited to play at a yacht sailing festival in France in April 2002. There the band played in front of over 3000 people where their music went down extremely well, once again She Says did its magic and was played on a local campus radio station at least three times a day. The band were treated like International rock stars enjoying French national television and newspaper coverage, many impromptu unplugged performances and of course many late night parties.

2002 continued to be an excellent year for Cutting Jade in the international arena as they completed a joint UK tour along with label brothers Wonderboom in July. The bands played four shows, three in London and one in Wales. The highlight of the tour was a double billing at Shepherds Bush Empire one of London’s most prestigious and famous live venues.

The latest addition to Cutting Jade is their new vocalist Logan. After leaving David Gresham Records and losing their vocalist early in 2004 the future for the band seemed uncertain. However it was going to take more than just a touch of controversy and a line up change to get this band down. In walks Logan, a twenty year old marketing student at the University of Pretoria. With his powerful voice and “what you see is what you get” attitude, this youngster has breathed new life into the band and not even three months after the line up change Cutting Jade is on the verge of releasing their third studio album entitled “Come Back to Life” which by all accounts promises to be their best effort yet. Goodness knows they have been through a lot since the release of “Between two Lives” and have not only grown as musicians but, more importantly, as people.

Cutting Jade is a Rock band for a new era of South African music, purveyors of great songs and subjects without pretence, gimmick or industry shallowness. Just great rock music. They continue to impress at their live shows through out the country and internationally. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.