Nthatuoa Koeshe
SONGBIRD, Leomile Motsetsela recently broke new ground after two of her tracks were chosen to be soundtracks for an upcoming South African movie titled Zulu Wedding.
The movie premiers in the cinemas on 11 October 2019.
The tracks Lerato le Felile and Faro are from Leomile’s debut album Pula-Molomo released in 2016.
Leomile told the Weekender that the development came as a surprise after the movie director heard the music being played by one of her interns and loved it.
“To me, this is serendipity really,” Leomile said.
“The director heard my music through one of her interns and felt it would be perfect for the film.”
She said the director then contacted her and they formed a relationship that then led to the licensing deal and a collaboration on the music video for Lerato le Felile, which is the soundtrack for the movie. The video will be released before the film is premiered.
She said she was elated to learn that her music had the longevity to compel people to listen to it even a year after its release.
“I’m elated. It’s both fun and affirming to see my music having a life of its own and continue to find people who resonate with it years after its release.”
She said the best part has been the meaningful relationships that have been forged that will transcend the current deal.
“This is a moment worth celebrating especially because it came unexpectedly,” she said.
She advised upcoming artistes to pursue an understanding of why they do music because that will sustain them when the going gets tough.
Zulu Wedding is a romantic, glamorous and hilarious film which pays tribute to the richness of African culture.
It acknowledges the reality of many urban South Africans who live sophisticated modern lives which are nonetheless shaped by their family cultures, traditions and expectations.
The film tells the story of a feisty choreographer, Lungile ‘Lu’ (Nondumiso Tembe), who will do anything to avoid falling in love. She equally avoids going home (from the Diaspora) to South Africa, where she’s traditionally engaged to a king.
However, when she meets her soulmate Tex (Darrin Dewitt Henson), she is forced to confront the tradition she has been running away from and the stage is set for hilarity, hijinks and heartbreaks.
