Morena Leraba

Morena Leraba is a shepherd from the mountains of Lesotho who fuses his homegrown traditional Famo inspired vocals with electronic dance, reggae, hip-hop and everything in between. Meshing cultures and sounds from far and wide to create a truly unique sonic experience through collaborations with producers from across the world. At the heart of these global musical connections is Kashaka, a producer and DJ from Brooklyn, New York. The pair first collaborated in 2016 when Kashaka visited Lesotho, which sparked a partnership that lead to a collaborative EP due for release in July 2018, which will also features Spoek Mathambo from South Africa and Larinu from Brazil.
While his collaborations in the international sphere have showcased his electronic inclinations, the ever evolving live act firmly roots itself in the organic musicality of Leraba’s motherland. With a band assembled of world-class musicians from South Africa and Lesotho, Morena Leraba’s live act is unmistakably African at its core and befitting of big festival stages. Morena Leraba is available for performances either with a full live band, or as a stripped down DJ show with Kashaka or his local partner in crime, RMBO aka. Tshepang Ramoba (BLK JKS).

Growing up in rural Lesotho, steeped in Famo music and working as a shepherd, an almost universal duty for men in Lesotho, were the first building blocks in Morena Leraba’s musical journey. Famo is a genre born of Sotho migrant workers in the early 20th century, rooted by its very nature in traditional folklore and lifestyles. His first step out of Lesotho was a collaboration with German producer Fritz Holscher in 2014 on his first single “Bojete” which premiered on OkayAfrica. Next up he worked with Brooklyn-based producer Kashaka’s on the single “Lithebera”. Then came a collaboration with Brazilian producers Trapfunk & Alivio on the track “Imphepo”, which won the 2017 Jameson Music Video Grant which resulted in a breathtaking video shot in his homeland. He also performed with Spoek Mathambo at Festival Banlieues Bleues in Paris and featured on Spoek’s album released the same year, Mzansi Beat Code. 2018 has already proven to be a busy year for Morena Leraba performing big shows both locally and abroad, bringing in the new year as a surprise guest with BLK JKS and Thandiswa Mazwai at AFRO PUNK Joburg, to as far a flung regions as the Commonwealth Games in Australia. Leraba joined forces with manager Lesedi Rudolph and Next Movement, and with numerous exciting collaborations in the works, including two songs on Damon Alban’s Africa Express project due for release later this year, and a feature on BLK JKS upcoming album, fans can look forward to a lot of new music from Morena Leraba in the near future.