92 |8 AUGUST^2019 you.co.za

H

E COUNTSJohnKania

a lunchbuddy,consider

EltonJohna goodfriend

isona first-namebasi

withPharrellWilliam

andfeelslikehe’sknown

Beyoncéforages.It’sbeen

a quarter-centurysince

LeboMshottofameforwritingand

singingtheopeningline–Nantsingon-

yamabagithi(herecomesthelion)– of

TheLionKing.

TheSoweto-bornsinger,producerand

composerhasonceagainputhismagi-

caltouchtothesoundtrackofDisney’s

newcomputer-animatedremake.He’s

alsoteamedupwithBeyoncé,wholends

hervoiceasNala,forthesurprisetrack

Spirit.

Spirithasmovedaudiencesworldwide

• yetLeboisn’tblowinghisowntrumpet.
  “IhearpeoplesayingI’msuccessful,”
  hetellsYOU.“I appreciatethesentiment,
  butI’mnowherenearsuccessful.
  “I’llbesuccessfulwhenI havea com-
  panythatownsandproduces 17 movies
  a yearthatareNo1 attheboxoffice,
  whenI havefiveor 10 artistswhoare
  No1 ontheBillboardchartsandwhenI
  have 10 GrammysandsixOscars– that’s
  success.I knowpeoplewhohavethat
  success,”Lebocontinues.
  “Someofusareold-school.Wedon’t
  getdrunkontheperceptionofsuccess.”
  Hisstandardsarecertainlyhigh,butby
  allaccountshe’satthetopofhisgame.
  Thecelebratedmusicianhasbeenona
  whirlwindinternationaltourtopromote
  theremakeoftheDisneyclassic.

GIVE ME SWEET

AFRICAN BEATS

The LionKing’sLeboMtellsYOUwhatit’slike

toworkwithBeyoncéandhowSouthAfrican

artistscanmaketheirmarkon theglobal stage

BYSIYABONGADZIMBILI PICTURE:ERLOMBARD

Lebo M with John Kani, who voices Rafiki

in The Lion King, at The Country Club

Johannesburg for the South African

premiere of the movie.

We meet Lebo at the fancy restaurant

of the four-star Hyatt Regency in Rose-

bank, Johannesburg, a few days after the

film’s South African premiere. He’s casu-

ally dressed in jeans and a bomber jacket

and introduces us to the woman he’s

having breakfast with.

“This is Mel Ntsala, my fiancée.”

Lebo has been married and divorced

four times. In 2017 he divorced his ex An-

gela Ngani-Kasara after remarrying her.

He went back to Angela after breaking

off his engagement with Zoe Mthiyane

when the pair couldn’t agree on their

prenuptial agreement. Six months later

he filed for divorce.

Now he’s found romance again. He’s

head over heels in love with Mel, who’s

been accompanying him on media tours

around the world.

The lovebirds have been dating for

about a year after meeting at a mutual

friend’s house.

Lebo doesn’t want to delve into his

love-life any further, but he does have a

mouthful to say about his work.

as

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