Bollywood music reminds me of Zulu culture, says Bheki Ngcobo

Bheki Ngcobo, lead vocalist of South African music and dance group Ihashi Elimhlophe, talks about his passion; performed for the second time in the country in Mumbai on the occasion of South Africa’s 17th Freedom Day celebration last Thursday.

After 25 years of performing, what drives you?
What encourages me is the continuous love and support that I receive from my fans. I have this burning fire inside me that pushes me to continue producing music for people. I preach through music and spread the word of life through my music.

How do you define your music?
The genre of my music is called ‘Maskandi music’, which is classified as Zulu traditional music that is uniquely South African. My sound is driven by my 14-string-guitar sound. My guitar sound is self-taught and engineered.

What kind of music do you like listening to?
Being a musician, my ears tend to be more open to different types of sounds. But my favourite remains Maskandi music as it defines who I am. 

Osibisa was perhaps the first band that brought African music to everyone’s notice. How do you think the scene has changed now?
I think that the world has become borderless in reference to music. African music and culture in general has developed a global appeal. The music has definitely evolved over the years with the fusion of different sounds and genres together to form new genres and sounds.

What is it about African music that makes it so popular?
It’s the life and richness in culture that South Africa has to offer to the world that in turn influences the music to become what it is. My stage act is unique in that it fuses tradition with popular culture. It possesses an electrifying energy beyond age. The choreography is highly creative.

This, being your second visit to the country, how has it been different?
I think this time around, I come more informed about the people, lifestyle and the culture. This time I am more aware of what the people of India would prefer to see from us on stage.

What is it that you are most looking forward to in India?
I am looking forward to the curry! Since I came here I’ve been feasting on the different curries. I’d like to explore new opportunities that would see me returning to India more often.

Do you like Indian music?
Fortunately, in South Africa, we have channels that broadcast Bollywood films and music. I usually watch a lot of Bollywood on Sundays. Although I don’t understand much of the language, but I like the use of music and dance in their films. It’s very expressive; it reminds me of my own Zulu culture. However, I would love to hear how the music sounds when fused with other genres.

Would you be interested in working on a Bollywood project?
It’s one of my missions to spread my music to the world through the use of collaborations. This would take both our music to a level still undiscovered. I would like to experiment with the sounds of Ravi Shankerji as the technique is similar to my guitar playing.