Becoming Lebo

Singer KB Motsilanyane and actress Bahumi Madisakwane have the daunting task of bringing the late Boom Shaka singer to life – and they’re determined to defy the critics

- Qhama Dayile

THEY couldn’t be more different. One is a showbiz vet with more than 20 years’ experience and the other is just starting out and trying to make her mark in the industry.

KB Motsilanyane and Bahumi Madisakwane have something in common though: both have been picked apart for being cast as Lebo Mathosa in a new series about the powerhouse singer’s rise to stardom.

Bahumi (24) plays the part of younger Lebo in Dream: The Lebo Mathosa Story, but critics said she’s too inexperienced and only landed the plum part because of her famous father, Somizi Mhlongo. 40-year-old KB, they said, was too old to portray Lebo, who died in a car crash when she was 29. But the women aren’t letting the backlash get them down.

“My approach is not to be like her but to tell her story,” KB tells DRUM. “I am nervous as hell and afraid, but I’m also very excited.”

She makes no bones about how big the role is. “No one is going to be lukewarm about this production. Lebo was massive. She gave her entire being when she was on stage and it’s an honour to be trusted with it.”

KB, who has a string of soaps under her belt, was chosen for the part after Kelly Khumalo dropped out, says Monde Twala, vice president of Viacom International Media Networks. “There was no love lost with regards to Kelly,” he says. “It’s all part of the auditioning process where you negotiate and things don’t work out and you move on.”

Playing the kwaito and pop princess is daunting, but KB has always been captivated by Lebo. “Her journey as a human being when the lights were off really intrigued me, and how much effort she put into her shows.”