Lebohang morake biography of nancy williams

South African musician (born )

Lebo M
Birth name	Lebohang Morake
Born	() 11 July (age&#;60) Soweto, Johannesburg, South Africa
Occupation(s)	Producer, composer, arranger, performer
Instrument	Vocals
Years active	–present
Labels	Till Dawn Entertainment

Musical artist

Lebohang Morake (born 11 July ),^[1] known as Lebo M, is a South African producer and composer, known for his songwriting and vocal work on the soundtracks to films such as The Lion King, The Power of One and Outbreak and numerous stage productions.

He was recommended to Disney by Hans Zimmer, the composer of both adaptations of The Lion King, and formed and conducted the African choir that sang for the films.

Early life

Lebohang Morake was born on 11 July in Soweto, Johannesburg, South Africa.

Lebohang morake biography of nancy Lebohang "Lebo M. He was recommended to Disney by Hans Zimmer , the score composer of The Lion King , and was later hired to form and conduct the African choir that sang for the movies. His voice is the first voice heard in the beginning of the film, singing the now famous chant often considered synonymous with the film's image in popular culture over the opening sequence. At age nine, Morake left school, and began his career by performing in nightclubs. There, he was inspired by the songs of the diamond mine workers and Zulu music, and aspired to be an entertainer.

With no formal training in music,^[2] he left school at the age of nine to perform music in night clubs.^[3] Morake recorded his first single, "Celebration", when he was 13 years old, receiving only $20 for recording the record.^[4] When he was 13 years old, Morake became the youngest performer to sing at the nightclub Club Pelican, when he filled in for a backup singer who could not attend.^[3][5]

Career

Early career

In , Morake sought to broaden his horizons, so he left by bus for Maseru, Lesotho, after hearing that a new club was going to be opening there.^[5] In Maseru, due to the apartheid system, he was under exile.^[4][5] At 15, he was working as a singer in the Victoria Hotel in Lesotho when Lesotho's Ambassador to the United States Tim Thahane noticed him and appreciated his musical abilities.^[4] Thahane helped Morake apply to the Duke Ellington School of the Arts, coordinating with the TransAfrica organization to send the singer to the United States.^[3][6] Morake lived at first in New York, again playing in restaurants and bars, and was supported by Black churches to attend music school.^[5] Morake moved to Los Angeles when he was 18 to pursue a music career.^[6]

Start in Hollywood

In Los Angeles, he struggled to make ends meet, working odd jobs to survive while studying at Los Angeles City College.^[2][5] He performed sometimes at Memory Lane, a nightclub owned by Marla Gibbs.^[4] Morake was asked to help find a choir for the Oscars, so that they could perform music from 's Cry Freedom, a film about South Africa that was nominated for multiple Academy Awards, including one for Best Original Song.^[3] He made further strides in his music career when by chance, he ran into childhood friend Solly Letwaba, who was the bassist for Johnny Clegg.

Letwaba introduced Morake to Clegg's producer, Hilton Rosenthal, who employed Morake as an intern and gofer for his production studio.^[5] Rosenthal was the music supervisor on the film The Power of One, and through him, Morake met the film's composer, Hans Zimmer.^[2] After being asked about some ideas for the film's soundtrack, Morake ended up co-writing and co-producing the music for The Power of One with Zimmer, helping to arrange the choruses.^[4] Morake used his knowledge of African rhythms to compose the soundtracks to other films, such as Congo (), Outbreak (), and Born to be Wild ().^[5] He decided to return to South Africa in the early s, after the end of apartheid.^[2]

The Lion King

Morake wrote and sang the opening Zulu chant at the beginning of Disney's The Lion King,^[7] for which he was sought by Zimmer.^[6] He also contributed to the sequel to the film's soundtrack, Rhythm of the Pride Lands, and the film's direct-to-video sequel The Lion King II: Simba's Pride.

The duo composed so much music that Disney approved an additional soundtrack album, Rhythm of the Pride Lands, containing extra compositions.^[3]The Lion King'soriginal soundtrack, with the compositions that had made the cut for the theatrical release, earned the two composers a Grammy Award, and Zimmer won an Academy Award for Best Original Score.^[3] Morake also helped score The Lion King's stage musical, creating new music and adding pieces from Rhythm of the Pride Lands.^[4] The musical was nominated for Best Original Score at the 52nd Tony Awards in ^[8]

He founded the Lebo M Foundation and Till Dawn Entertainment.^{[citation needed]}

On 23 July , Morake performed"'Circle of Life" and "He Lives in You" at the opening ceremony of the 24th World Scout Jamboree.^{[citation needed]}

In April , it was announced that Lebo M would join the music team for Mufasa: The Lion King, providing additional music alongside the film’s songwriter, Lin-Manuel Miranda.^[9][10]

Personal life

Morake was married to Viveca Gipson for 5 years.

He divorced her and married Nandi Ndlovu and they were together for 11 years. He then divorced Ndlovu and married Angela Ngani-Casara for five years, from to ^[11][12] Morake became engaged to Zoe Mthiyane but their relationship ended in He remarried his third wife, Angela, but they divorced again in ^[13][14][15] He lives with his family in Johannesburg and Los Angeles.^[13] His daughter Refi is also a singer who often performs by his side.^[16] In April ,^{[citation needed]} Morake got engaged to partner Pretty Samuels, in he had presumably filed for divorce.^[17]

Filmography

Lebo Morake has composed, arranged, performed and produced music for the following films:

Discography

References

External links