SA’s Charismatic Software Engineer Turned TikTok Dance Sensation, Chad Jones, Is Mastering The ‘Al-Go-Rhythm’.

With nearly 1.7 million TikTok followers and close to 13 million likes so far, this dancing dynamo is definitely riding the social media wave right now, and we are totally here for it! From popular amapiano hits to kwaito, and even funky R&B remixes, Chad Jones will bust a move to literally anything with a cool beat at this point, making his fans go wild with excitement. But what really sets this groovy digital content creator apart from the rest is his love for getting his family in on all the action and slaying all types of South African dances.

FEELING THE BEAT

`I get my family involved in most of my videos. We are an Asian family dancing to many different, unexpected dance styles such as kwaito, amapiano, pantsula and gqom,’ he excitedly explains. ‘I want people to feel happy and energised, and the need to dance right there and then as they are watching us online.’

Dancing together isn’t anything new to Chad and his lovely family, though. Originally from Port Elizabeth, renamed as Gqeberha, he grew up alongside his sister, Amber, and his parents and grandparents who have been highly supportive mentors of his. ‘From a young age my family exposed us to good music and dancing,’ he recounts. ‘There are videos of Amber and I as kids just dancing around randomly in the lounge. Whenever there were parties or family get-togethers, us as the Jones’s were always on the dance floor.’ The quirky mover and shaker admits that he has also always been quite fond of dance greats Michael Jackson and Chris Brown, constantly trying to replicate their epic moves. ‘Dance is a form of freedom for me. When I dance, I don’t care what anyone thinks of me. Once the music takes over, I have the best time, whether it be alone or with others,’ Chad joyfully exclaims.

Ironically, the self-taught dancer actually completed a Bachelor of Science degree in Computing Science and Applied Mathematics after leaving St. Dominic’s Priory School. ‘Growing up I was always a tech-savvy guy, and once I had completed my tertiary degree in Computer Science, I landed a job as a software engineer and had the opportunity to train for the position with a UK-based company. I was working remotely for this company in England, from Gqeberha,’ he says. ‘I had been in my job for about two years, then COVID-19 hit South Africa and the country went into lockdown. It was during this time, being stuck at home, that I stumbled upon the TikTok app.’

BIO BOX

FULL NAME:
Chad Stephen Jones

DOB:
13 June 1995

AGE:
27

STAR SIGN:
Gemini

HOMETOWN:
Gqeberha, Eastern Cape

TONS OF TALENT

With his fancy footwork, along with all the family fun, he managed to master TikTok’s algorithm, which quickly pushed all his first videos through to basically everyone’s ‘For You’ page. The more popular we became, the more influential people and even South African celebrities started noticing us,’ he excitedly explains. ‘Then next thing you know, brands started approaching me with offers to work with them. This industry has opened up doors to so many unique opportunities to work with amazing individuals – some that I even look up to. And I told myself that if it doesn’t work out, I’ll always have my degree to fall back on, but I also told myself “Nah, watch me make this work!”‘

Today, Chad has worked with a few major brands, such as Netflix SA, as well as a variety of food and beverage brands (since he is also quite the foodie), like Extreme Energy SA, OREO South Africa, Lipton, Cadbury, Dairy Milk SA and loads more. He has also been featured in ‘The Come Up’ series presented by Standard Bank, and he was even invited to be a dance master on SABC 1’s first season of the Dance Yo Dumo competition show. ‘It is one of my biggest career highlights thus far, aside from being booked and getting to perform live with my parents on stage for an event,’ he proudly says. ‘It was so amazing working with the cool people I met on the show, who are actually some of the nicest, most talented people I have ever met. It was truly a real honour.’

FAST FACTS

STYLE MUST-HAVES:
Plain T-shirts and sneakers

FAVOURITE SCENT:
The smell of my granny’s cooking

DANCE INSPO:
Chris Brown and The Jabbawockeez

COLOUR CRUSH:
Red

FAVOURITE MUSIC GENRE:
R&B

CELEBRITY CRUSH:
Kendall Jenner

‘WHEN I DANCE I DON’T CARE WHAT ANYONE THINKS OF ME. ONCE THE MUSIC TAKES OVER, I HAVE THE BEST TIME’

QUICK-FIRE Q&A

DO YOU HAVE ANY PET PEEVES?
Yes, standing in long lines

ANY WEIRD QUIRKS OR HABITS?
I click my knees regularly.

THE BEST PIECE OF ADVICE YOU’VE EVER RECEIVED?
‘Take every opportunity that comes your way.’

WHAT ITEMS DO YOU KEEP IN YOUR NIGHTSTAND?
Powerbanks, old cellphones and my playstation controllers.

WHAT CAN’T YOU LIVE WITHOUT?
I absolutely love food and I can’t go without some good sushi!

WHAT’S CURRENTLY ON REPEAT ON YOUR PLAYLIST?
‘Possessive’ by Chris Brown ft. Lit Wayne and BLEU.

STILL ON THE RISE

Chatting more in depth about the platform itself, Chad is quite the advocate. ‘What inspires me to keep making TikTok content is, firstly, that I really enjoy it, but, mainly, it is actually because of my followers and all the people that look up to me and enjoy my content,’ he admits. ‘We’ve [he and his family] built an even bigger family online, which I definitely won’t let down. So I never think of what would go viral or not. It’s just about being in the moment with my family, having fun while making the content. The rest just follows.’

And to anyone who aspires to use social media as a launchpad for their own career, Chad advises: ‘Anything is possible if you love it and work hard at it. Social media can be a tough place, but don’t let others discourage or bring you down. Keep being you and keep pushing your content and finding new unique and authentic ways to consistently improve – not for other people, but for yourself.’

Right now, the TikTok star is exploring some new ways of creating content. ‘I am planning to start a YouTube channel for everyone to see the procedure behind how I actually teach my parents dances and how they feel about learning the dances. This will also hopefully be educational and help people learn the dances we do, too,’ he says.

CONNECT WITH CHAD

Instagram:
chad_13jones

Twitter:
chadjones390

TikTok:
chadjones957

Words by Charndrè Emma Kippie

Photography: Chanelle Naudt/HMIMAGES.CO.ZA