“The Lion King is an African story that happens to parallel my own life,” says South African musical sensation Lebo M from behind a cup of coffee. A heart-warming grin overcomes his faces as he describes the audiences rising to their feet night after night for the World Premiere of the Broadway musical in Minneapolis. “I heard we’ve been selling out every night,” he says with a happy shake of his shaved head.” He goes on to tell of the uncanny similarities that The Lion King has with his life, the politics of South Africa and his music: “Young Simba’s loving education from his father, rebellion and eventual struggle to regain a foothold in his native land was very familiar to me; it provided my work with a very personal element.” Together with music producer Mark Mancina and singers brought in from his homeland, Lebo brings the lulls, squeals and earthy breaths of African song to the stage rendition. The production comes alive with an authentic passion that is unmistakably African.

Lebo M, born in the arms of apartheid South Africa and raised in a marginalized society known as Soweto, has brought the songs of his soul to the stage. Despite the political horrors that the native Africans experienced under the hand of a minority rule for almost five decades, any visitor cannot help but be amazed by the rich musical culture that grew there. A love of life seems to exude through black African eyes and their art.

From the time he was a child, Lebo dreamt of making his musical mark in America. At age 9, he left school and began his career performing in nightclubs in Soweto; he was inspired by the songs of the diamond mine workers and Zulu music. "The early 30's American jazz and R&B were very popular in my country," Lebo remembers, “My father could sing any Louis Armstrong song and my mom was really into American jazz.. I loved Marvin Gaye and The Commodores." By the time he was fifteen, he left his family and escaped South Africa to pursue his heart’s desire. His high hopes left him begging on the dowtown street corners of Los Angeles, but his vision eventually took shape as he began to work with the likes of Quincy Jones and members of Earth, Wind & Fire. Projects such as the films “The Power of One,” the documentary and album “Back on the Block,” the Academy Awards television special and the national stage tour of “Sarafina” pointed him in the direction he envisioned. Then, near his 31st birthday, when Nelson Mandela had just won the nation’s first all-race elections, Lebo was presented with a Grammy for his contributions to The Lion King.

Lebo’s featured voice soars and then blends with the choir that includes his wife Nandi and others whose voices appear in the film and on his debut album, “Rhythm of the Pridelands.” Four songs, taken from that record have been re-written for the stage with music producer Mark Mancina, with whom he worked on the film and on “Rhythms.” Two of the pieces are highlighted as emotive solo performances for the stars of the show. The lilting “Lala,” rewritten to become “Endless Night,” was originally a tearful tribute to Lebo’s best friend and his brother, who both were killed within a week of each other. “Lea Halalela,” with new lyrics to become “Shadowlands,” draws on Lebo’s ancestral history of the Tswana people. The word “lea halalela” means “this land is holy” and illustrates the importance of ruling your land with care and respect; because it is from the earth of which we are born and eventually become again. “He Lives in You” and “One by One” are sung by the choir and feature Lebo’s lead voice. “Rhythm of the Pridelands, which sold 900,000 copies since its’ release in 1995, will be re-released this month and will be available in retail stores nationwide (Disney Records).

Director Julie Taymor’s inspiration for the musical concept of the play came after hearing the soundtrack and his album. “what Lebo meant to the movie was so inspiring and original; he brings us Africa,” she reflects. “That choral sound is so distinctive, you just don’t hear them enough in the movie, so we made them into principal characters for the stage.” Taymor actually created an entra-acte for Lebo’s “One by One” because she loved it so much. She felt that “He Lives In You” fell so perfectly into the context of the play that she used it as a reprise. “Lebo is a one of the most joyous, terrific human beings I’ve met. He is a great, great collaborator; funny, yet intensely serious with a beautiful attitude and spirit. He’s got unbelievable integrity,” she adds. “ He’s my type; ready to create on the spot.”

Lebo’s diverse musical background and easy going nature allowed him to actually create during rehearsal. When describing the ever-changing process of making music for a live show, Lebo laughs sheepishly, “the choir was beginning to hate me, but with every performance there always are things you can make better.” This was the first time Lebo bridged the gap between being on the stage performing and directing the choir simultaneously: “I grow in the process of doing a new project, there’s always a new way to be creative and be involved with other creative people. The number one thing I learned was how to be creative with more than ten people at a time! I was so inspired by Julie’s work. The costumes, the puppets and Garth Fagan’s choregraphy. The play was authentic to Africa.; more than the movie. Julie researched, to the last button on the costumes, to make sure it was right.”

“I prefer to do things by inspiration, not rote repetition,” Lebo heartfully reflects. “It’s hard for me to be an academic artist and teach others sounds that are in my bones. There’s a raw-ness to African song, that is totally unique; it’s subtle, but very necessary. It comes from the heart. The entire attitude of music and dance is unlike an Anglo expression. For example, when we dance, we move into the ground, not hop above it.’”

Because the music is so intrinsically African, Lebo insisted on absolute authenticity and brought in eight singers from South Africa. The balance of the American cast had to be taught the specific cadence, range and rhythm that is so unique, yet pivotal to the African musical style. He also cast South African Tsidii Le Loka to play the magical and colourful Rafiki. “I really had to reach out to the American singers. I taught them the historical meaning of the lyrics and the practical and spiritual meaning of the songs they were singing. The style is not only uniquely technical, but the singers must understand the pain or joy, the feeling behind the song. Most of them had the notes, but the most difficult part is the interpretation, which is the African way of singing.”

Soon after the show opens on Broadway, Lebo will be making his way back home to Johannesburg for the release of his second album, titled “Deeper Meaning” on Tusk/Gallo Records.

“Like Simba, I too lost family and close friends during my exile in America. But I returned home victorious to the open arms of my newly freed countrymen. It was so strange -- all within the same year, The Lion King the film was released, Nelson Mandela became President and I came home.”
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Alyson Dutch is a publicist by trade who fell in love with South Africa when she began working there during the fall of apartheid. Her innocuous passions include writing; the dangerous ones: snow skiing and driving fast cars. She is the active president of W.I.L.D. (Women Into Living Dangerously), an elite club for fellow publicist girlfriends who love to ski.

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