MUSICIAN, Theo Nhlengethwa (41) broke onto the music scene when he was very young, and together with Lebo Mathosa, Thembi Seete and Junior Sokhela they formed the muchloved 90s kwaito group, Boom Shaka. The East Rand-born child star, who has been out of the spotlight for a while, opens up to Move! about his disappearance from music.
HE NEEDED TO FIND HIMSELF
For a while the whereabouts of the musician were unknown, however, he says he needed to redirect his life and to find himself. He says the break was worth it as he is in a better place emotionally and physically. “I needed to find myself. The entertainment industry has a lot of pressure to always remain in the spotlight. The pressure of being famous was too much for me, it really weighed down on me. I just wanted to be, so I started focusing on my other passions that developed along the way. I found that I love TV production, so watch the space.” The artist, who is not married, adds, “I also wanted to grow spiritually. I love God.”
THE BOOM SHAKA ERA
Theo says losing his former bandmate Lebo left a void in his heart. He says after Lebo’s passing, things went on a downward spiral for him. “Lebo’s death affected me in a big way. She was my best friend, a colleague and a sister. Lebo motivated me all the time. When she passed on, I felt like a part of me was also gone. I always wonder where she would be if she was still alive. She wanted so much for herself. I know she would have taken on Beyoncé,” says Theo. When Boom Shaka split, their fans were left wondering what happened to the group. Setting the record straight, Theo told Move! that when the band members parted ways, it was on a good note. “Boom Shaka didn’t really split; we took a break to focus on our individual interests. Lebo wanted to do her solo album and Thembi wanted to finish her studies,” he says.
BACK TO MUSIC
Despite all that he has been through, Theo is gradually bouncing back into the music industry. Excited about making music again, he believes that he is in the right place to create music that will be appreciated by music lovers. Theo, who has a new single out, says his new single came to him in a dream. He says, “I’ve got a new single out called He’s My Papa, featuring Buffalo Souljah. This song came to me in a dream. I woke up in the middle of the night and recorded it on a voice recording. I am super excited about this song and I’m so confident about it and that it is going to blow up.”
