One of South Africa's most popular singing groups, the Bala Brothers were a vocal trio who paid little mind to musical boundaries, performing everything from pop, R&B, and hip-hop to opera, gospel, and traditional South African folk styles. Theirs was also a story of a changing South Africa, where three youngsters who grew up under the oppressive yoke of apartheid played a small but very real part in the battle for racial equality and became symbols of the new thinking and opportunities after apartheid finally collapsed. Founded by Zwai Bala, the oldest of the three brothers, he and siblings Loyiso Bala and Phelo Bala all enjoyed solo success in South Africa before launching an international career with the album The Bala Brothers.