Zain Bhikha (born August 9, 1974) is a South African Muslim singer-songwriter, who has achieved fame as a performer of nasheed songs. Tied to other prominent Muslim personalities, including Yusuf Islam and Dawud Wharnsby Ali, Bhikha has collaborated on albums with other artists, and has released several solo albums as well. He has written several religious albums concerning Islam.
Bhikha may best be known outside of the Muslim community by his performance with a drummer and several backup vocalists who are most famous for being the African singers in the famous Disney cartoon movie The Lion King.[1]
Bhikha's music almost exclusively follows Islamic themes, with only voice and drums being used, since the use of musical instruments other than the voice and the drum is an area of debate in Muslim jurisprudence, considered harām, or "unlawful" by a portion of the Muslim community. His voice is unmistakable; it is high and sweet, with an overall feeling of gentleness. He has mastered the art of harmony, and is proficient as both a lead vocalist and as a singer of backing vocals. While not a falsetto, the timbre of his voice sounds higher than that of most performers. It has been compared to the singing voice of Western pop musician Michael Jackson
Early life
Born to parents Rashid and Mariam Bhikka August 9, 1974 in Pretoria, South Africa, Zain Bhikha is one of four children, with three sisters; Zaheera, Nasira and Nasima. [2] He started singing from a young age, though entertaining his family and friends were enjoyable past-times, and he did not have any belief that his singing would take him further from that point. In 1994, Bhikha entered a singing competition sponsored by a local radio station. His song was recorded on a home karaoke system and won first place over others with far more experience. After this unexpected accomplishment, he was approached by a the Pretoria Muslim School, who asked him to write and record a new school anthem for them. Inspired by this, Bhikha did so, and afterward composed a complete album, entitled A Way of Life, an album named in a reference to the Deen of Islam. [3] This was a compilation of a cappella Islamic songs, mostly in English covering the various tenets of Muslim faith. The album took only two weeks to complete, and marked a significant turning point in Bhika's life and musical career.
As his visibility as an artist in South Africa grew, other artists seeking to reach Muslim youth with music came to be familiar with his work, including world-renowned musician and prominent convert to Islam, Yusuf Islam (formerly known as Cat Stevens).
Discography
* 2000 - Towards the Light
* 2000 - Children of Heaven
* 2001 - Faith
* 2002 - Our World
* 2005 - Mountains of Makkah
* 2006 - Allah Knows
* 2009 - The Beginning 1415
(taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zain_Bhikha)
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