The Bala Brothers

The Bala Brothers are a vocal trio from the Kwa Nobuhle Township outside Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape. The group consists of brothers Zwai Bala, Loyiso Bala, and Phelo Bala. The brothers first gained prominence when Zwai Bala joined the Drakensberg Boys' Choir School in 1988, becoming the first black member of the previously segregated group six years before the end of apartheid.^[1]

Family Life

The brothers were born into a musical family. The brother’s parents first met singing in church choirs, and their grandfather was a choral composer.^[2]

Individual Careers

Zwai

In 1988, at age 12, Zwai Bala made history by becoming the first black member of the then-segregated Drakensburg Boys’ Choir School. In 1995, after his time in Choir School, Zwai joined Kwaito group TKZee.^[3] At the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards in 2011, Zwai also was nominated for the Grammy for Best Traditional World Music Album in the World Music Field for his production work on Soweto Gospel Choir’s Grace.^[4] Zwai also performed with TKZee at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.^[5]

Loyiso

As Zwai Bala did in 1988, some years later, Loyiso also joined the Drakensburg Boys’ Choir School. In 2013, Loyiso was appointed UNAids National Goodwill Ambassador.^[6] In 2015, Loyiso won his first South African Music Awards since 2010, his third SAMA since his first in 1999 when he won the award for Best Faith Album for his release Power Love Sound.^[7]

Phelo

Phelo, the youngest of the three brothers, followed in his brothers’ footsteps and also attended the Drakensburg Boys’ Choir School. In 2011, he released his self-titled debut solo album.^[8] In 2014, Phelo confirmed his calling as a sangoma, a high spiritual honor in indigenous South African culture.^[9]

Collective Rise to Prominence

In 2006, the Bala Brothers came out with their first collective release, B3, on September 28, 2006, on Sony BMG Entertainment Africa.^[10] While the brothers continued to work on solo projects individually, they also continued to tour as a group. After Sony BMG dissolved, the brothers released another LP, Live at Emperors Palace, on May 7, 2013, through their own label, Bala Brothers Production. Later that year, the Bala Brothers performed at the Cape Town Stadium in a memorial service Nelson Mandela, after his death in December, 2013.^[1]

Warner Classics

On March 3, 2015, Warner Classics, the classical division of Warner Music Group released the Bala Brothers US Debut, the self-titled Bala Brothers (Live). The album was recorded live at the Lyric Theatre in Johannesburg. By March 12, the brothers’ new album had reached 8th on Billboard's World Music Charts.^[11]

PBS Special

In the fall of 2014, the Bala Brothers signed a deal with PBS to air a live performance of their forthcoming album with Warner.^[12] The broadcast aired in beginning in March 2015, and the brothers also released a DVD of the performance with Warner.

Discography

Albums

• B3
• Live at Emperors Palace
• Bala Brothers (Live)

References