Morena Leraba

MORENA LERABA is the stage name of Teboho Mochaoa, a musician and shepherd from Matholeng, a village in the Mafeteng region south of Lesotho’s capital, Maseru. In 2017, Morena Leraba formed his eponymous group in Johannesburg with other musicians, blending traditional Sesotho music with cross-cultural influences to mould a singular sound imbued with the enigma of a shepherd from Lesotho mountains.

Over the past nine years, Morena Leraba has become a globally recognized figure through a genre-defying sound (inspired by Famo music from Lesotho) propelled by electrifying live performances, high-profile collaborations, and his 2023 debut record, Fela sa Ha Mojela. Released by The Good Times Co and Permanent Record, the EP pays tribute to the songs of his home region, capturing his ability to fuse Famo-inspired vocals with diverse musical influences into a sound that is psychedelic, entrancing, and dynamic.

Famo, a sub-genre of Sesotho traditional music and poetry, is deeply rooted in Morena Leraba’s home district of Mafeteng and was introduced as early as the 1920s when Basotho men were migrant labourers in the South African mines. “I understand Famo,” he says. “But because we also have influences from elsewhere, I guess I’ve been reimagining Sesotho traditional music. Coming to Johannesburg and meeting the musicians who have shaped this journey was, in a way, the manifestation of that reimagination.”

His alter-ego, imagery, and lyrics celebrate the shepherd’s charisma, weaving together narratives of rural life with reflections on his experiences in Johannesburg and beyond. Fela sa Ha Mojela is enriched by the voices of fellow Basotho migrant workers whom he commutes with, and whose stories inform its themes: “These are stories of migration. Labour in the informal sector. Johannesburg and its hardships. Hope. Finding strength and courage. Spiritual calling. Death, and having to live with the memory of loved ones.”

Since emerging onto the scene, Morena Leraba has become a sought-after collaborator. Notable projects include Major Lazer’s 2021 album Music is the Weapon – Reloaded (Mad Decent), where he appeared on Hands Up alongside South Africa’s Moonchild Sanelly; Johannesburg with Sibot and Gruff Rhys (formerly of Super Furry Animals), the first single from EGOLI (2019) by Damon Albarn’s Africa Express; We No Be Machine (Strut Records, 2020) by the London-based collective ONIPA; Harare, the lead single from Johannesburg’s

BLK JKS’ 2021 album Abantu – Before Humans (Glitterbeat Records); and Bubbling (Mawimbi Records, 2021), a collaboration with Paris-based Mawimbi and South African producer and his mentor Spoek Mathambo.

In 2023, Morena Leraba was the first recipient of CollaboNation, an initiative by the Music in Africa Foundation and The Sounds Connects Fund (Goethe-Institut South Africa). This led to Chisimo, his collaboration with Zimbabwe’s internationally acclaimed Mokoomba, recorded in Harare and released under Bushfire Records and Paradise Worldwide.

His growing presence on the international stage has led to invitations to major cultural events. He was one of the Young African Commonwealth acts at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games in Queensland, Australia, and performed in London at Damon Albarn’s The Africa Express sharing stage with Blur, Tony Allen, Rokia Traoré, Imarhan, Joan as Police Woman, Ghetts, Michael Kiwanuka, Dobet Gnahoré and many others. That same year, he was selected to perform at the Sentebale AUDI Concert, a fundraising initiative by Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, at Hampton Court Palace in London where he shared stage with Rita Ora, George The Poet and 2018 Britain’s Got Talent finalists B Positive Choir.