The audience sits comfortably in anticipation of the moment. Lights dim, silence replaces noise, and then suddenly out of nowhere a rich, resounding tune echoes throughout the theater. The bone-chilling voice of an African woman rips the room with a song and in supporting rhythms the cast of the first scene of The Lion King emerge onto the stage of Broadway’s Minskoff Theater. Among performers of the second act is South African songstress Selloane Nkhela, a nine-year cast member of the Disney show.
Standing petite in height it is mind-blowing what a powerful and stirring voice is commanded by Nkhela. On this day she acts as Nala, Simba’s spirited childhood friend-turned-lover and plays the musical role excellently.
In a tone of gratitude she expresses:
“It’s just been such an amazing experience, I’ve learned so much! I’m better than what I used to be; it has done so much for me artistically, emotionally and even physically. I feel good because I dance, move around, I do so many things that nine years ago I couldn’t even do. So it’s been a blessing.”
Before joining The Lion King crew Nkhela had carved out a name for herself in South Africa: In 1995 she won the nation’s talent search, Shell Road to Fame, and secured a recording contract with Gallo Music Group, South Africa. She then released a gospel CD, Vuma, which received a healthy response.
“After that I was coming out of a very unfulfilling marriage, so when I moved to LA I was like ‘Ok, let me stop for a minute,’” she opens up as she talks about her singing career. “Because you know when you live in the public eye all the time you live your life for people and I had to just figure out who I was because I married very young.”
During the healing and transition period she admits to throwing herself into work and concentrating on The Lion King as she explored other opportunities.
“At the time I didn’t even play guitar, I taught myself how to play guitar… I did some project with Sony and I sang vocals for other people.”
Nkhela was a featured artist at the 2008 Lunas Awards in Mexico and also performed at the White House for former Ghanaian President and First Lady, John and Theresa Kuffuor.
“It was incredible! How did you know that?!” she exclaims with surprise as her face breaks into a grin. “Oh my God, that was incredible! That was really great. It was such a beautiful experience to do that,” she gleefully recalls the White House performance.
Still on the subject of experiences, Nkhela reminisces about a very dark period in her life: the South African apartheid.
“I’d heard about him I just didn’t know who he was,” she says of the imprisonment of South Africa’s first post-apartheid President, Nelson Mandela, as childhood memories emerge.
“You couldn’t see his pictures everywhere because everything was controlled by the Afrikaans. It was very interesting because when you’re a young kid with like ‘I’m just going to school’ and then all of a sudden there’s a big brick hitting the window and you just run and cops with tear gas and you don’t know where you’re going. As a young kid it can be very traumatizing.”
She adds: “It was a very hard time but at the same time I’m glad it happened because I wouldn’t be here today. When I go to South Africa now I’m like, ‘Oh my God, I belong here, this is my country.’ We’re doing well as a country, I mean we’re having challenges with our president and stuff but racism is everywhere.”
Nkhela is writing a book about this experience and some of that spills over into her upcoming album, with the latter focused more on her adulthood and other life encounters. As a way to expand her theater experience she is also participating in a play by Mbongeni Ngema, director of the South African musical, Sarafina. The drama is themed around the segregation periods in South Africa.
“I just hope it expands my knowledge as far as that’s concerned and hopefully I can just do my CD,” she says of the project with Ngema.
But the record, which is still in its mixing phase, is of a different tone from her debut, Vuma. It holds, she asserts, elements of World, Folk, Afro, R & B and Jazz music.
Her love for the Arts, undoubtedly, is far from superficial. As part of her efforts to promote the discipline, Nkhela has founded an organization in South Africa called Tiny Tears Foundation which is determined to raise funds to purchase musical instruments for students in public schools.
“I just know that for me today I play guitar and I play good at it, but imagine if I had that investment from grade one or even younger. My experience with The Lion King and doing music made me realize that ‘Oh my God, we can invest into the Arts more than we do.’”
With a successful debut and remarkable vocal performances in The Lion King, one is left in anticipation of Nkhela’s latest musical project – how good will it be? What sounds are to be expected?
The world awaits its arrival.