‘Lion King’ singer sues comedian for $20M for mistranslating ‘Circle of Life’ chant
Claws are out over these “Lion King” lyrics!
The Grammy-winning South American vocalist who sang the famous opening chant in the song “Circle of Life” at the beginning of the Disney movie is suing a comedian for $20 million for “intentionally misrepresenting” the meaning of the tune.
Singer Lebohang Morake claims Zimbabwean comedian Learnmore Jonasi damaged his reputation when he said that the chant — “Nants’ingonyama bagithi Baba” — is literally translated to, “Look, there’s a lion. Oh my God” on the podcast “One54,” according to the lawsuit.
Lebohang Morake says his royalties have been affected by the mistranslation. Kate Green/Getty Images for The Walt Disney Company Limited
“[Jonasi] presented this as authoritative fact, not comedy,” according to the federal lawsuit filed in Los Angeles on March 16. “[He] mocked the chant’s cultural significance with exaggerated imitations.”
Disney’s official translation of the phrase, sung in the South African language of Zulu, is “All hail the king, we all bow in the presence of the king.”
The word “lion,” however, can be interpreted as “king” in the language depending on context.
During Jonasi’s appearance on the podcast, hosts burst into laughter after he made the “translation” — saying they thought it meant something “beautiful and majestic.”
“You’re joking. That is not what that means,” one of the hosts says — to which Jonasi allegedly “doubled down,” insisting, “That’s exactly what it means,” according to the lawsuit.
Learnmore Jonasi originally “translated” the lyrics on a podcast. Trae Patton/NBC via Getty Images
“Defendant’s false characterization of the composition’s interpretation of Nants’ingonyama bagithi Baba” in commercial media creates a misleading description of [Morake’s] commercially significant work, diminishing its value and market positioning,” the suit states.
He allegedly made a similar joke about the chant during a March 12 performance in Los Angeles and “received a standing ovation,” according to the lawsuit.
Morake claims the statements, which have gone viral, have hurt his business relationships with Disney and his income from royalties, causing more than $20 million in damages. The lawsuit also seeks $7 million in punitive damages.
The lyrics in question were made famous by the 1994 film. ©Walt Disney Co./Courtesy Everett Collection
The dust-up between the singer and the comedian have also gone viral on social media in recent days.
Morake’s lawyer, Michael Younge, acknowledged in the suit that “ingonyama” can literally translate to “lion” — but say it’s used as a royal metaphor in the song, which is performed by Elton John in the 1994 movie. “The Lion King” saw international stage renditions and and a film remake in 2019.
Jonasi has said he’s a “big fan” of Morake’s work and loves the song. When he learned that Morake was upset, the comedian said, he wanted to create a video with Morake explaining the song’s deeper meaning.
“Comedy always has a way of starting conversation,” Jonasi said a video he posted on Instagram, which got more than 100,000 likes. “This is your chance to actually educate people, because now people are listening.”
But Jonasi said he changed his mind about collaborating with Morake when he said the composer called him “self-hating” as they exchanged messages following the Feb. 25 podcast. He said Morake’s reaction ignored the rest of his work delving into a more nuanced critique of American renderings of African identity.
A rep for Jonasi didn’t immediately return a request for comment Thursday.
With Post wires.
