He puts the B in R&B and though music is his first love, musician Brian Temba is happy to be back in front of the camera acting. He plays Abdul on Gomora.
It has been a long time since his last acting gig when he played Ranthumeng on SABC 2’s Muvhango. He was married to Thandaza (played by Sindi Dlathu), and although they have both moved on to do bigger and better things in their careers, people still call him Ranthumeng.
“There are some viewers who have said they are happy to see Ranthumeng on Gomora and I just laugh because I have learnt to make peace with it. I think when you play a character well and make it believable, it becomes hard for the audience to separate the actor from the character,” he tells Drum.
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He uses his charming ways and smoothness from his R&B music for his role on Gomora. His character is a blast from Pretty’s past. Pretty, played by Siyasanga Papu, knows Abdul as Nhlakanipho but he changed his name for religious reason swhen he was in the USA.
But of course, Pretty is married to her darling Sbonga, so what does this mean for their marriage?
“Abdul is there to shake things up. Also, Sbonga is too relaxed, so Abdul is going to sweep in there trying to win back the love of his life.
“Abdul has a silver tongue, so as much as he will be able to win Pretty back, I am not sure if he will be able to keep her, because of his lies,” he says.
His last acting job was in August 2018 and since then he has been focusing on his music career.
“I just had to focus a little bit on the music and do my thing and I am grateful for the time that I have had to take a break from acting and focus on the music. The music will never stop, still busy getting booked so even though I am acting again, I have not put music on the back burner.”
His first day on set was nerve wrecking, he recalls.
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“But everyone was so welcoming and made me feel at ease. On day two I was back like I never left. It also feels great to be part of a family like the Gomora family. I am really loving it.”
His music is doing so well that he has been nominated for three South African Music Awards in the best album, best male and best R&B categories.
Without giving it much of a thought, he says if he had to choose between music and acting, music would always be his first choice.
“Hands down, it would have to be music.”
