He's All Grown Up!

Phelo Bala talks about going solo, his ancestral calling and those gay rumours.

- Mpho Tshikhudo

HE’S the baby of The Bala Brothers vocal group, the guy who’s been making sweet music with the big boys in the family since he was a precocious kid of 14.

So when it emerged Phelo Bala was taking a break from the band that’s been around for more than 10 years, fans and the industry alike were stunned. Was this the end of the road for the musical trio?

Then it was reported Phelo was gay and eldest brother Zwai was having a hard time accepting this – so he shipped him off to the Eastern Cape where they grew up.

So what’s going on? “It’s not true that Bhuti Zwai sent me home because I’m gay,” he tells us when we catch up with him at a restaurant in Marshalltown, Joburg.

“Bhuti Zwai would never do that. My brothers didn’t ship me home for anything. Things got blown out of proportion. There was none of that happening.”

The truth, he says, is that when the gay rumours surfaced he’d taken a break from the music business for three months – that was why he’d gone home. “There was no tiff with my brothers. They are very supportive.”

It’s also not right to say he’s left The Bala Brothers, Phelo (26) adds.

“A fifth album is in the offing and I can assure you I’ll be part of it. The record is in the works even though we’re very busy independent of each other right now. We always have to check each other’s diaries – this adulting thing is a mission.”

But the new album with brothers Zwai (42) and Loyiso (37) isn’t all we can expect from the little Bala brother. He’s back from his break with a bang – and a new album of his own.

Ndim’lo, his first solo offering, is testament to his growth in the music industry, he says.