Loyiso

Second-born sibling in the internationally acclaimed trio The Bala Brothers, Loyiso Bala has established a robust career of his very own, transforming from one of South Africa’s bigger R&B stars into a pre-eminent gospel singer. Born in the Eastern Cape in 1979 to parents who met singing in church, Loyiso attended the prestigious Drakensberg Boys' Choir School shortly after his older brother, Zwai, broke its colour barrier. In 2003, Loyiso released his debut album, Wine, Women and Song, then covered Radiohead's "Karma Police" on 2007's award-winning Blow Your Mind. Five years later, his music took a heavenly turn with Love Complete, a live Christian album bursting with ecstatic mass-choir climaxes and congregation sing-alongs. A savvy observer of regional music trends and a singer/songwriter in both Xhosa and English, Loyiso mixed gospel, kwaiso and hard rock on 2014's Power Love Sound, which includes the volcanic "Our God Is Awesome".