(CNN) - Even if you don't know singer Lebo M by name, you've likely known his voice for the last quarter-century.
And now, with the fresh take on film set to hit theaters, the singer says he feels he's come full circle.
Born Lebohang Morake in Soweto, Johannesburg, Lebo M was a musical prodigy without formal training who ultimately became an exile due to the oppressive Apartheid regime, a system he says "sought to make you constantly less than human being."
It was through that work that he met Zimmer, just as the composer began work on the first "Lion King" film in 1992.
After structuring the vocal arrangements on the song, Lebo M was about to record a demo of the song when spontaneous inspiration struck.