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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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