Lebo M wants to change perception in reality show
DEBASHINE THANGEVELO debashine.thangevelo@inl.co.za
IN A FEW days, Lebo M – Coming Home will be available for streaming on Showmax. That the legendary producer, composer, arranger and performer would agree to a reality show surprised even him.
Since he was in Taiwan, we chatted over Zoom earlier this week.
He joked: “It’s been lovely. I landed, got the hotel and I’ve been in quarantine for 14 days. I’m seeing life through my windows, thank you very much for asking.
“This is the new norm. You have to laugh it off and live with it. I got a couple more days here. I’m out of my ‘prison’ on the 27th.”
After telling me about the great care he is getting in mandatory quarantine, the conversation shifted to his upcoming reality series.
When asked about what prompted him to do one – and now – he said: “I’m still curious myself.”
Lebo M added: “I’ve been asked to do this for so long.” Of course, the adventurous side of him relented.
“Teddy (Geldart), the executive producer from Dopezuluboi Productions, and a couple of other people really cornered me with a beautiful angle. I still think it’s a conspiracy between Teddy, some of my family members, who used to joke about how my family are a reality show, and my office.”
Lebo M says he was sold on the angle of the reality show offering some lightness after a very traumatising year thanks to the arrival of Covid-19.
“Teddy said, ‘Wouldn’t it be lovely that we are a beautiful light story that brings people joy and creates this whole topic around family and family dynamics?’ He said people would be talking about this in bars, in churches, in their bedrooms and in their living rooms.”
When Geldart mentioned he could be a part of helping to heal the nation, he couldn’t really say, “No!”
“How’s that for an angle?” Lebo M asked, breaking into a chuckle.
There was another selling point to the arm-twist and guilt-trip. The show was pitched as a celebration of Lebo M’s 30 years in the industry.
He shared: “We are approaching 30 years since my first movie, , in March next year. So it’s a celebration and highlighting all those milestones. In a bigger way, my biography comes out in March. This is a
