Lebo M is the greatest star you’ve likely never heard of. Colloquially known as “the voice and Spirit of ‘The Lion King,’” Lebo’s defiant vocals soundtracked the opening scenes of Disney’s legendary animated blockbuster in 1994, voicing the ancestral, Zulu verse that welcomes the rising sun in the musical’s premiere song, “The Circle Of Life.”
Lebo’s iconic intro has been chanted the Western world-over ever since (who hasn’t sung “Naaa Sibenyaaa” whilst holding their cat in the air?). But in 2014, Lebo made history again at the age of 50, becoming the first African artist to perform at the HAVASI Symphonic Arena Show at the Budapest Arena in Hungary, singing “The Circle of Life” and selling out a total of five shows in the process!
His “Circle of Life” performance went viral with 26.8+ million views to date, and it’s no battle to figure out why. Lebo M has discreetly become the voice of a generation, and performing the Zulu lyrics against a fiery savannah backdrop bursting with traditionally dressed backing singers, torch-bearing dancers, and a symphony orchestra, the effect is simply enchanting.
Elton John, who wrote the soundtrack’s greatest hit, “Can You Feel The Love Tonight,” also crafted “The Circle Of Life” alongside co-composers Tim Rice, Hans Zimmer, and Lebo M, who sang the instant classic with American actress and vocalist Carmen Twillie. While Carmen isn’t present for this Budapest gig, Lebo adopts her lyrics as his own, but it’s his Zulu chants and ad-libs which steal the show with their blinding authenticity.
The Lion King remains the highest-grossing, traditionally animated film of all time. To Lebo, a South African who was raised during apartheid, the movie holds far more weight than most could imagine. Lebo revealed to CNN, “When Simba takes over Pride Land, to me it is not an animation. The lyrical inspiration around that is visualizing Nelson Mandela becoming president at the same time when Simba takes over Pride Land. It’s a personal journey for me, this project.”
Born in Soweto, Johannesburg, Lebo’s African heritage stays at the heart of his career. As the man who introduced an entire generation of nineties and noughties kids to African culture through his untempered Zulu lyrics, he brims with advice for South Africans seeking to embrace their true, cultural identity on the world stage: “I think the biggest challenge for us South Africans specifically, is how do we continue to define ourselves in a global community as part of the world community? 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, versus the hip-hop African American wannabe in you.”
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