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What does it feel like to sing it for audiences now?īecause it is the experience of the live audience, every time you do it, it feels like the first time. The Nants Ingonyama opening to "Circle of Life" has become iconic. I can't even go to the damn toilet - or elevator! The shock comes when the project is released and it goes worldwide. So that was the approach with The Lion King. You go into a project and contribute your best. But as a young professional, it was always about doing the job and the work and not about "is this going to be a success or not?" I had worked enough to know not everything that you work on is a hit, so that mentality is not there. There was something unique about The Lion King at that time. Then I was called in to work on the movie.ĭid you have any expectations for the film? So I came in to do a demo for this jungle thing with lions and left. I was going home to South Africa because there was a new dispensation evolving there. When Hans was approached to do The Lion King, I was not in America. I never knew that I could be in that world.
#Lebo m circle of life nants ingonyama movie
That started this unique creative brotherly relationship with Hans, and I end up doing movie soundtracks by default. Long story short, I ended up cowriting, coproducing, and performing on the soundtrack of The Power of One. Hilton looked at me and said, "Hans, you should try this kid." So Hans called me into his studio the next day in Santa Monica. Hans was approached to do this film, and he went to see his friend Hilton to talk about possibly teaming up with Johnny Clegg (who was not in America) to do the soundtrack. He was Johnny Clegg's producer, who was also South African. I loved that because it was my first real authentic experience. I was an intern and runner that would make the coffee and clean, and I would mess around when they finished doing the important work in the studio. I was working at a car wash in Los Angeles in the early days as a refugee and I used to go to a friend's studio. The collaboration with Hans was a blessing in disguise. How did you meet and start collaborating with Hans Zimmer all those years ago? Now, years later, having to stand in the middle of let's say Wembley Stadium in London, which has a 90,000-person capacity, and do my segment- it was initially intimidating. The only time I felt the power of the opening of The Lion King was from the live presentation of the Broadway show. Until now it has not been as tangible - I'm saying "now" because I'm going around the world on tour and performing "Circle of Life" with Hans and getting that immediate audience reaction. What's the English word? It's mind-boggling! It's quite a milestone in my life. Does it feel like it's been that long since you opened the show? The Lion King is about to celebrate its 20th anniversary on Broadway.
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This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity. with The Lion King director Julie Taymor in advance of the musical's 20th Broadway anniversary. What we learned is that it pays to fool around with studio equipment after hours. We had a chance to sit down with him ahead of the show's 20-year milestone and look back at where the journey to Pride Rock began. Lebo M has left his musical thumbprint on the The Lion King, and The Lion King has reciprocated, shaping his career in film and solidifying his longtime collaboration with composer Hans Zimmer, with whom he continues to tour the world. It would be even more difficult to find someone who's never heard Lebo M's rendition of the opening "Nants Ingonyama" chant - an iconic piece of music that the South African musician performed for the film as well as in the original Broadway cast, to which he also contributed additional music, lyrics, vocal arrangements, and choral direction. The Disney phenomenon rarely dips below the top five in weekly Broadway grosses, and the impending live-action film version ( featuring a star-studded cast) only promises a surge of Lion King fever as the 2019 release draws closer.Īs a property that's raked in billions since the original animated film's 1994 release, it would be difficult to find someone who's never seen The Lion King on either stage or screen. On November 13, The Lion King officially passes its 20-year mark on Broadway and is showing no signs of fatigue.