When Frank Kadillac and Adrian Morris of pop duo Neon Dreams boarded a flight from Halifax, Nova Scotia in Canada to South Africa, they never could have expected the influence the country would have on them.

The pair first arrived in SA in 2021 after noticing streaming numbers for their single Life Without Fantasies spike a year after its initial release in 2019.

Since landing, Kadillac and Morris have never looked back and have returned multiple times to perform and for extended visits after making life-long friends around the country.

“South Africa impacted our lives more than just music,” Morris told News24 in a 2022 interview. “Part of my life exists in South Africa, and part of my life exists in Canada.”

And with their love for the country only growing, Neon Dreams wrote, recorded and released their newest album, Love Child Baby Dolphin, while touring in SA.

The 9-track album features South African artist Mthandazo Gatya and a special ‘Thank You’ message from Kadillac.

“I loved growing up in Canada. Through the good and the bad, it taught me a lot about myself, and it made me who I am,” he says at the start of the 1-minute voice message.

Following the release of Love Child Baby Dolphin on 20 January, Kadillac answered 7 burning questions that may just bring you to tears.

LISTEN TO LOVE CHILD BABY DOLPHIN HERE: 

What has the response to the new album been like?We’ve been getting the most heartfelt messages than ever before. I can’t describe the type of love this is because it’s new; it’s like the album is changing people’s perspectives on life and giving them strength in more ways than one.

The fears you have may seem massive, but when you take a step back, you might just see how small they are… small enough to just walk over and enjoy the rest of the sunshine you have left because, after all, it’s just a little dance under the sun.

Which is your favourite song on Love Child Baby Dolphin and why?

There was a day when I was meditating on a rock and realised something that I couldn’t get over. When we sit on a rock, it’s a clean surface, but if the rock were flipped upside down, no one would want to sit on it. It’s full of bugs and mud, but it’s still a part of the rock. And I realised we are just like that rock, and that side of us that is covered in pain is what’s holding us up, and it exists in everyone we know. That realisation turned into the song The Other Side of You.

Neon Dreams: Frank Kadillac and Adrian Morris

Photo: Supplied

If you could dedicate one song to your SA fans, which one would it be?

If we’re talking about me dedicating one of our songs, it would be Blue Butterfly. That song was the first song I wrote while I was in South Africa.

I realised we’re all chasing this butterfly, a metaphor for love, acceptance, redemption etc.

But when we slow down and start searching inside ourselves, we find it and realise we are that butterfly. Love comes from the inside, and acceptance comes from the inside. And the whole is just a reflection of what’s going on inside. It’s deep. But if I were to dedicate any song, it would be Redemption Song by Bob Marley.

What inspired the title: Love Child Baby Dolphin?

If I explain the name, it might take away the beauty of how I found it, but I’ll say this: If you smile when you read this title, this album was made for you. Love Child Baby Dolphin is a frequency channel of sunshine music you can always tune into.

How many times do you say fly in Blue Butterfly?

I can’t even count. It’s even in backing vocals very quietly. We should get sponsored by an airline.

You share how you and Adrian found South Africa and how it changed your lives in a ‘Thank You’ message on the album. Why did you decide to include it as a track?

I realise with how social media works and anything nowadays, some people will never see my posts or my interviews. But if they enjoy our music, they will always listen to that, so putting messages in albums are important to me now. Giving respect to the people is more important than the songs.

If you could describe your love for South Africa in three words, what would it be?  

Our love for this country is unconditional, infinite and extraordinary. Baie lekker country.