Lebo M | |
---|---|
Birth name | Lebohang Morake |
Born | Soweto, Johannesburg, South Africa | 11 July 1964
Occupation(s) | Producer, composer, arranger, performer |
Instrument(s) | Vocals |
Years active | 1994–present |
Labels | Till Dawn Entertainment |
Lebohang Morake (born 11 July 1964), [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.
Lebohang Morake was born on 11 July 1964 in Soweto, Johannesburg, South Africa. 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]
In 1979, 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]
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 1987'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 (1995), Outbreak (1995), and Born to be Wild (1995). [5] He decided to return to South Africa in the early 1990s, after the end of apartheid. [2]
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 of an additional soundtrack album, Rhythm of the Pride Lands , containing extra compositions. [3] The Lion King's original 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 1998. [8]
He founded the Lebo M Foundation and Till Dawn Entertainment.[ citation needed ]
On 23 July 2019, Morake performed"'Circle of Life" and "He Lives in You" at the opening ceremony of the 24th World Scout Jamboree.[ citation needed ]
In April 2024, 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]
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 2008 to 2013. [11] [12] Morake became engaged to Zoe Mthiyane but their relationship ended in 2016. He remarried his third wife, Angela, but they divorced again in 2017. [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 2021,[ citation needed ] Morake got engaged to partner Pretty Samuels, in 2023 he had presumably filed for divorce. [17]
Lebo Morake has composed, arranged, performed and produced music for the following films:
The Lion King is a 1994 American animated musical coming-of-age drama film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution under the Walt Disney Pictures banner. The film was directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff and produced by Don Hahn, from a screenplay written by Irene Mecchi, Jonathan Roberts, and Linda Woolverton. The film features an ensemble voice cast that includes Matthew Broderick, Moira Kelly, James Earl Jones, Jeremy Irons, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Niketa Calame, Nathan Lane, Ernie Sabella, Whoopi Goldberg, Cheech Marin, Rowan Atkinson, and Robert Guillaume. Its original songs were written by composer Elton John and lyricist Tim Rice, with a score by Hans Zimmer. Inspired by African wildlife, the story is modelled primarily on William Shakespeare's stage play Hamlet with some influence from the Biblical stories of Joseph and Moses, and follows a young heir apparent who is forced to flee after his uncle kills his father and usurps the throne. After growing up in exile, the rightful king returns to challenge the usurper and end his tyrannical rule over the kingdom.
Hans Florian Zimmer is a German film score composer and music producer. He has won two Oscars, four Grammys, and has been nominated for three Emmys and a Tony. Zimmer was also named on the list of Top 100 Living Geniuses, published by The Daily Telegraph in 2007.
The Lion King II: Simba's Pride is a 1998 American animated direct-to-video musical drama film produced by Walt Disney Video Premiere. It is the sequel to Disney's 1994 animated film, The Lion King, with its plot influenced by William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, and the second installment in The Lion King trilogy. According to director Darrell Rooney, the final draft gradually became a variation of Romeo and Juliet.
The Lion King 1½ is a 2004 American animated direct-to-video musical comedy film produced by DisneyToon Studios and released on February 10, 2004. The third installment in the Lion King franchise, the film is both a prequel and a sidequel to The Lion King, focusing on the supporting characters Timon and Pumbaa. A majority of the voice cast from the first film returns to reprise their roles, including Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella as the voices of Timon and Pumbaa, respectively. The film's structure is inspired by Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, a tragicomedy that tells the story of Hamlet from the point of view of two minor characters. The Lion King 1½ received generally positive reviews from critics.
Mark Mancina is an American film composer. A veteran of Hans Zimmer's Media Ventures, Mancina has scored over sixty films and television series including Speed, Bad Boys, Twister, Tarzan, Training Day, Brother Bear, Criminal Minds, Blood+,Planes and Moana.
The Lion King is a stage musical with music by Elton John, lyrics by Tim Rice, and a book by Roger Allers and Irene Mecchi, with additional music and lyrics by Lebo M, Mark Mancina, Jay Rifkin, Julie Taymor, and Hans Zimmer. It is based on the 1994 Walt Disney Animation Studios' film of the same name. Directed by Taymor, the musical features actors in animal costumes as well as giant, hollow puppets. The show is produced by Disney Theatrical Productions.
Rhythm of the Pride Lands is an audio CD released on February 28, 1995, by Walt Disney Records, a "sequel" to the original motion picture soundtrack of the animated film The Lion King (1994). Most of the tracks were composed by Lebo M, Jay Rifkin, and Hans Zimmer and focused primarily on the African influences of the film's original music, with most songs being sung either partially or entirely in various African languages.
"Be Prepared" is a song written by Elton John and Tim Rice from Disney's 1994 animated feature film The Lion King. The song was originally performed in this film by Jeremy Irons and Jim Cummings, with Whoopi Goldberg and Cheech Marin providing supporting vocals.
The Lion King: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the soundtrack album for the 1994 Disney animated film The Lion King. It contains songs from the film written by Elton John and Tim Rice, and a score composed by Hans Zimmer. Elton John has a dual role of performer for several tracks. Additional performers include Lebo M, Carmen Twillie, Jason Weaver, Rowan Atkinson, Joseph Williams, Whoopi Goldberg, Jeremy Irons, Cheech Marin, Jim Cummings, Nathan Lane, Ernie Sabella, and Sally Dworsky. The album was released on May 31, 1994 on CD and audio cassette. The soundtrack was recorded in three different countries: the U.S., the U.K. and South Africa. It is the best-selling soundtrack album to an animated film in the United States with over 7 million copies sold, with 4,934,000 copies sold in 1994.
"He Lives in You" is a song written and performed by Lebo M and his South African Choir and co-written by Mark Mancina and Jay Rifkin, originally for Rhythm of the Pride Lands, a 1995 album inspired by the 1994 film The Lion King. It is also performed twice in the stage musical adaptation of The Lion King, first produced in 1997. Furthermore, an abridged version of the song was used for the opening of the 1998 sequel film The Lion King II: Simba's Pride.
There have been seven theme park live adaptations of The Lion King at Disney Parks since the Disney animated feature film The Lion King was released by Walt Disney Animation Studios in 1994. These have included a parade, two theater-in-the-round shows, and four stage shows.
"Hakuna Matata" is a song from Disney's 1994 animated feature film The Lion King. The music was written by Elton John with lyrics by Tim Rice. The song is based on Timon and Pumbaa's catchphrase in the movie, Hakuna matata, a Swahili phrase meaning "No worry(ies)".
"Circle of Life" is a song from Disney's 1994 animated feature film The Lion King. Composed by English musician Elton John, with lyrics by Tim Rice, the song was performed by Carmen Twillie and Lebo M as the film's opening song. In an interview, Rice said he was amazed at the speed with which John composed: "I gave him the lyrics at the beginning of the session at about two in the afternoon. By half-past three, he'd finished writing and recording a stunning demo." John sang a pop version of the song with the London Community Gospel Choir, which was included in the film's soundtrack and made into a music video.
The Lion King is a Disney media franchise comprising a film series and additional media. The success of animated original 1994 American feature film, The Lion King, directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff, led to a direct-to-video sequel and prequel, a live-action remake in 2019, a television film sequel, two spin-off television series, three educational shorts, several video games, merchandise, and the third-longest-running musical in Broadway history, which garnered six Tony Awards including Best Musical. The franchise is one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time. The franchise as a whole has EGOT-ed, meaning it has won the four biggest awards of American show business.
Award-winning German composer and music producer Hans Zimmer has composed and produced over one hundred soundtracks and film scores. Of them, about 50 soundtracks and songs were nominated for awards. He has won two Academy Awards, four Satellite Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, four Grammy Awards, three Saturn Awards, two Annie Awards, and two WAFCA Awards.
"Endless Night" is a song written by Lebo M, Hans Zimmer, Julie Taymor, and Jay Rifkin. It premiered in 1997 as part of the musical The Lion King, a stage adaptation of Disney's 1994 animated feature film of the same name. Mark Mancina produced the song and arranged by Mark A. Brymer. Taymor wrote the lyrics based on the melody from "Lala", a song from the 1995 soundtrack album Rhythm of the Pride Lands. Jason Raize, who first performed the role of Simba for the Broadway production, first performed and recorded "Endless Night"; his version is included on the original cast recording.
"Shadowland" is a song written by Lebo M, Hans Zimmer, and Mark Mancina for the musical The Lion King (1997), a stage adaptation of Disney's 1994 animated feature film of the same name. Based on the song "Lea Halalela ", a track featured on Lebo's Lion King-inspired concept album Rhythm of the Pride Lands (1995), Lebo composed the track with Zimmer, while both Lebo and Mancina contributed new lyrics to its melody. Lebo based the song's lyrics on his own experiences having been exiled from South Africa during apartheid, therefore imbuing "Shadowland" with themes about refugeeism and survival.
The Lion King is a 2019 American musical drama film that is a photorealistically animated remake of the traditionally-animated 1994 film The Lion King. It is directed by Jon Favreau, written by Jeff Nathanson, and produced by Walt Disney Pictures and Fairview Entertainment. The film stars the voices of Donald Glover, Seth Rogen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Alfre Woodard, Billy Eichner, John Kani, John Oliver, Florence Kasumba, Eric André, Keegan-Michael Key, JD McCrary, Shahadi Wright Joseph, with Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, and James Earl Jones. The plot follows Simba, a young lion who must embrace his role as the rightful king of his homeland following the murder of his father, Mufasa, at the hands of his uncle, Scar.
The Lion King: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the soundtrack for the 2019 Walt Disney Pictures film The Lion King, a live-action photorealistic computer-generated remake of Disney's 1994 animated feature film of the same name. It features songs from the original film written by Elton John and Tim Rice and performed by the film's cast. It also features the score composed by Hans Zimmer, the original film's composer, and two new songs: "Spirit," written by Beyoncé, Labrinth, and Ilya Salmanzadeh and performed by Beyoncé, and the end-credit song "Never Too Late", written by John and Rice and performed by John. Beyoncé also produced a curated soundtrack titled The Lion King: The Gift, which features new songs performed by multiple artists. The Lion King: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack was digitally released on July 11, 2019, and both the soundtrack's CD and Beyoncé's album were released on July 19, 2019.
Mufasa: The Lion King is an upcoming American musical drama film directed by Barry Jenkins, written by Jeff Nathanson, and produced by Walt Disney Pictures and Pastel Productions. The film is photorealistic animated and both a prequel and sequel to the 2019 adaptation of the 1994 film The Lion King. Donald Glover, Seth Rogen, Billy Eichner, John Kani and Beyoncé Knowles-Carter reprise their roles from the remake. New cast members include Aaron Pierre, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Tiffany Boone, Mads Mikkelsen, Thandiwe Newton, Lennie James, and Knowles-Carter's daughter Blue Ivy Carter in her feature film debut.