More projects followed suit but in the early 1990s Lebo decided to go back to his apartheid-free home country and reunite with his family. That’s the hardest thing to do right now – to tell young people in Nigeria, in Johannesburg, in Ghana that the African in you is your ticket to Hollywood. Their act received a standing ovation and people in the film industry took notice. Lebo was asked to assemble a choir to perform at the Oscars. Lebo’s first big break came when the 1987 South African-themed movie “Cry Freedom” was nominated for an Academy Award. Read: Healing a wounded nation through music Lebo’s unique musical intuition led him to Los Angeles where, after a tough spell where he lived on the street and found himself working in car washes and fast food chains, he managed to establish himself as a Hollywood-based musician. ambassador who arranged for Lebo to apply to the Duke Ellington school of music in Washington, D.C. Two years later, his talent was recognized by a local U.S. The young musician, who idolized soul legends such as Marvin Gaye and The Commodores, soon started making a name for himself, becoming the youngest singer to perform at The Pelican Club in Soweto, aged 13. Gifted with a natural musical talent, he left school at the age of nine to start performing at local night clubs. “It’s a personal journey for me, this project.”īorn in Johannesburg in 1964 as Lebohang Morake, Lebo grew up during the height of apartheid. “The lyrical inspiration around that is visualizing Nelson Mandela becoming president at the same time when Simba takes over Pride Land,” he adds. “When Simba takes over Pride Land, to me is not an animation,” he explains. Lebo’s arrangements captured the spirit of Africa, in tune with the politics of the time in his home country. “We created a very unique soundtrack – it’s still my very favorite soundtrack.” “We had created a formula with Hans that puts together Eurocentric orchestration with African voices and African big drums,” says Lebo. The movie also turned out to be a roaring success, winning two Academy Awards and three Golden Globes, as well as becoming the highest grossing hand-drawn film in cinema history The duo’s collaboration earned them a Grammy while Zimmer was awarded an Oscar for Best Original Score. Lebo put his stamp on the movie his credits include choral arranger and conductor but to most “Lion King” fans he is famous for delivering the powerful vocal sequence in the opening moments of the film. “At that time there was no iPhone, the world was not here, you know? To find somebody in Soweto, good luck!”Īfter a long search, Zimmer eventually tracked Lebo and asked him to fly to Los Angeles immediately. “They looked all over,” says Lebo with a smile on his face. “By the time he had committed to what became ‘The Lion King,’ there were other people hired that I replaced … because Hans was reluctant to continue without me in the project,” remembers Lebo.įor Zimmer, however, there was still one big problem: finding Lebo in his hometown of Soweto. When celebrated film composer Hans Zimmer agreed to create the soundtrack for Disney’s 1994 animated film “The Lion King,” he knew there was only one person he wanted to work with – South African singer and songwriter Lebo M.Īward-winning Zimmer, whose illustrious body of work includes scores for mega-hits such as “Gladiator,” “Pirates of the Caribbean” and “The Simpsons,” had already collaborated successfully with Lebo on “The Power of One,” a 1992 drama set in South Africa. "The African in you is your ticket to Hollywood," he says The South African advises young people in the continent to embrace their identity His arrangements won him a Grammy and he is currently working on his first ever tour Lebo M conducted and sang on the movie The Lion King
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