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Zain Bhikha Biography
Zain Bhikha was born on the 9 August 1974 in Pretoria,
South Africa to parents Rashid and Mariam Bhikha. The only son, with three
sisters, Zain showed a keen interest, from a young age in entertaining his
friends and family with his beautiful singing.
Zain was not aware of his full potential until 1994
when he won a singing competition on Radio 702, a local radio station. A
simple song which he recorded on his home karaoke system brought him out
tops among mostly professional participants. After this great
accomplishment, he seriously considered recording an album. This
consideration was put into action after he was approached by The Pretoria
Muslim School who asked him to write and record their school anthem. Zain
took it a step further and composed a full album, entitled “A Way of
Life”. This was a compilation of basic Acapella Islamic songs, mostly in
English covering the various tenets of Faith. The album, which was the
beginning of greater things, only took Zain two weeks to complete.
“A Way of Life” sparked the beginning of many more
album releases namely “Praise to the Prophet (SAW)” (1996), “Fortunate is
He” (1997) and “The Journey” (1998). Zain Bhikha’s song served to be very
popular throughout South Africa, especially for young children who found
the songs educational and inspiring. Its popularity caused it to filter
abroad and come to the ears of World Renowned Muslim activist Yusuf Islam,
better known as Cat Stevens.
Yusuf Islam was working on a momentous project entitled
“A is for Allah” and believed Zain could contribute by lending his voice
to some of the songs. In 1999, Zain flew to the United Kingdom to join
Yusuf Islam’s Mountain of Light Studios to begin recording. This
opportunity was a life long dream for Zain. To top it off, he was given
the chance to perform in seven of the eight songs on the album. Zain also
gained much experience from Yusuf Islam as he had no previous formal music
training. It was during the production of this album that Zain was brought
on board as an artist under Mountain of Light’s cultural label called
“Jamal Records. With the backing of Jamal Records, Zain planned the
world-wide release of two compilation albums incorporating all material he
had done thus far. These albums were entitled “Children of Heaven” and
“Towards the Light”, featuring some remixed songs.
Under the guidance of Mountain of Light and the
world-wide distribution power of Jamal Records, Zain released his first
new album under the label entitled, “Faith” (2001). The songs in this
album deal with a broad spectrum of emotions from hardships to happiness
but always invoke a constant consciousness of Allah. The album also
brought about collaborations between Zain and well-known Nasheed artist,
Dawud Wharnsby Ali. It also introduced the children from
Madressah-Tul-Banaat in Benoni, South Africa on backing vocals.
With his popularity rising and live performances around the globe, Zain
Bhikha released “Our World” in 2002. This album was a portrayal of the
unity which Islam brings to all cultures, languages and traditions through
the Will of Allah. Zain’s eldest son, Rashid’s, melodic voice is
introduced to us on this album. The title track for his album is a prayer
for a better world for all people, one free of prejudice and war.
In 2005 Zain established a South African company called
Zain Bhikha Studios. This company serves to house all of Zain’s present
and future works in all fields be it song albums, educational projects
through schools or theatre productions. Zain also began this with the
intention of giving local and international artists the platform to gain
exposure through his experience and resources in the industry.
After the establishment of Zain Bhikha Studios, Zain
continued his long time relationship with Jamal Records. The two companies
formed a partnership with Jamal Records being Zain’s exclusive
international distributor. Jamal Records are the driving force behind
Zain’s international recognition and his albums’ distribution.
With the birth of his new company came the first album
to be produced under the Zain Bhikha Studios label, “Mountains of Makkah”.
This album was inspired by Zain’s pilgrimage to Makkah in 2004. Both the
content and composition of this album shows much maturity. The lyrics are
a ‘personal reflection’ of his thoughts and feelings while partaking in
this profound spiritual journey.
A long way from his first appearance on Zain’s “Our
World” album and on Yusuf Islam’s momentous kids project “I Look, I See”
(2003), Zain’s son, Rashid, released his first single entitle “Can’t You
See” (2006). This is a hard hitting rap which stresses the importance of
living a drug-free life. It features Zain as well as the well known
hip-hop artist, Abdul Malik, from Native Deen who also wrote the song.
This song was produced by Zain Bhikha Studios and given world-wide
publicity by Jamal Records.
From the time that Zain joined Mountain of Light to
establishing Zain Bhikha studios, his experience as an artist has grown
tremendously, increasing his exposure both at home and globally. Zain was
a pioneer in the Nasheed genre. When Zain started singing, Islamic songs
were not being sung in English. As one of the first English Islamic
singers he opened the door for many other artists. His albums have been
launched in many countries including the United Kingdom, North America,
Malaysia, France, Turkey, The Middle East, and Australia. He has performed
live in cities across most continents and has become somewhat of a
household name when it comes to Islamic Music.
In addition to music, he also writes and directs plays
written specifically for schools. One of his many successful school plays,
“An Orphans Tale”, which he produced in conjunction with the Pretoria
Muslim School, was a great success and brought a full house for all three
nights that it ran in October 2003.
Zain has performed with a long list of artists such as
Dawud Wharnsby, Ashiq al Rasul, Hasan Kalicitan, Khalid Belhrouzhi, Native
Deen, Qatrunada, Imad Rami, Sami Yusuf, Dewan Chinekar, Irfan Makki,
Khaleel Mohamed and not forgetting his mentor, Yusuf Islam. In his many
local performances for Islamic schools, launches, fetes and dinners, Zain
has performed with local artists like Faeeza Malinga, Ziyaad Patel, Imran
Dhaya and of course, his son Rashid Bhikha.
Zain’s songs are mainly self written or adapted from
poems and traditional Arabic songs. His songs are driven by emotion and
the need to reassure people that Islam is the answer of hope and the core
for our everyday questions and confusion. Many of his songs represent
different times in his life when he is learning and remembering how
necessary Allah’s presence is. Zain’s songs provide young and old with an
alternative to the modern music which often carries a destructive message.
His music is Islamic propagation and encourages every Muslim to be proud
to proclaim there faith.
Zain confidently adds that much of his support has come
from his parents and family over the years. He lives with his wife,
Zaheera and three children in Johannesburg, South Africa.
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