Entertainer making waves in the industry

He’s an actor, pianist, singer, MC, voice over artist, live performer and motivational speaker.

He’s 28 years old, hails from Tembisa and his name is Bonginkosi Mthombeni.

This Idols season six top nine finalist, affectionately known as Bongi, has childhood memories filled with stories of his love for the arts and music from a young age.

“My mother says I wouldn’t eat till they sang for me, all my siblings would come and sing for me so I could eat,” said Mthombeni.

In church, Mthombeni took the front line. The same was the case in school.

“In primary school, I won all the talent competitions. I would watch my brother play piano and that’s how I learnt the instrument,” explained Mthombeni.

By grade 6, Mthombeni was the school pianist. “My favourite song at the time was This Little Light of Mine.”

He then started a mini school choir and would perform during the school assembly. Mthombeni went on to become the senior pianist at his church.

Life took an unexpected turn for Mthombeni when his mother lost her job. “For eight months to a year I became a taxi driver to support my family,” he said.

This obstacle didn’t deter Mthombeni from his goal to become an entertainer. He became a session pianist at Lemon Jack Studios.

A year later, he was promoted to backing vocalist, music arranger, sound engineer and producer. During that time the music manager formed a rock band, Lemon Grass, and Mthombeni joined as a vocalist and pianist. The band made waves in the industry.

Mthombeni has worked with the cream of the crop in SA’s music industry, including Coenie de Villiers, Chris Chameleon, the Coleske Brothers, The Parlotones, and Steve Hofmeyr just to name a few.

His greatest moment was seeing himself for the first time on TV performing live on Idols.

In 2010, at the age of 24, he entered the South African Idols season six and made it to the top eight. After elimination, he kept on pushing towards his dream.

“The experience opened a lot of doors, the response and attention were amazing. As a male artist you have to have self-discipline and you need to be extra careful in all you do,” said Mthombeni.

With all these achievements under his belt, Mthombeni still gets nervous when he gets on stage. “I always give more than what is expected. There’s no gig that’s too big or too small.”

The young performer susses out the crowd and then decides what to give them. “I perform every genre, I cater for everybody,” he points out.

He has been on many stages and has filled the role of performer, singer, pianist, actor, presenter, MC and voice-over artist.

His pantomime performance in Peter Pan last year earned him a Naledi Award as Best Supporting Actor.

Peter Pan is but one of the many theatre performances Mthombeni has been a part of. In April this year he also joined multi-award winning gospel group, Joyous Celebration.

“I love it, they are like family. Whenever we tour my family comes to support and watch us. They want to see me make it in life,” he added.

Mthombeni is appreciative of the support from his family.

“My mom always took me to my performances and made sure I had the right clothes. My family has never pressured me to do anything else,” he said.

He has a love for children and the community and is looking at opening an entertainment school where he will mentor and empower upcoming entertainers.

Despite his busy schedule, the entertainer extraordinaire still makes time to go to his church, AGCI in Tembisa, as often as possible. He is currently working on a gospel album, which he said was where his roots were.

Besides gospel, Mthombeni said he was going for a world sound.

“It’s a very different sound and difficult to get right. My genre is motown/dance/pop,” he explained.

Mthombeni’s thoughts on the music industry: “The industry is everything I expected it to be. You need a team that has your vision in mind. It’s a learning curve every day. The harder you work is the longer you last.”

His advice to upcoming artists: “It’s not as easy as you imagine it. Talent, plus business intelligence and knowledge, are what’s needed. Get a role model and mentor, work on your brand and if you want it, you need to go and get it. Hang around the vicinity you want to see yourself in and be willing to learn.”

He does not have a recording deal and in five years’ time the artist sees himself 10 times greater than what he is now.

“Because of all the hard work and sleepless nights, I’m trusting God to turn it around for me,” he said.

“My biggest dream is to travel the world to meet big cats in the international music scene and to see what’s happening in the world of music.”

Watch Bongi sing at www.kemptonexpress.co.za