Brotherhood takes centre-stage in the new music-meets-conversation TV show Man and the Mic.
The 50-year-old TKZee member Zwai Bala is one of the headliners in the Mzansi Wethu show set to premiere on December 14.
Khuli Chana, Kwesta and Donald join forces with him on the show, blending live performance and conversations led by South African male artists. Bala tells Sowetan what to expect.
What extra element do you bring to the show?
I’ve never been confident enough as a solo artist. I enjoy putting people and concepts together. But from a vocal perspective, for those who don’t know my voice well, they may find my renditions interesting. I also didn’t perform solo in my segment of the show.
I added two female vocalists — Bongi Silinda, who was an Idols runner-up a few years ago, and Nomabotwe from Popstars more than 15 years back, my homegirl from Port Elizabeth. I’ve always been able to identify amazing talent, and even if they didn’t win their competitions, I still gave them work and recognised their abilities.
How was it shooting the show?
Unfortunately, the other gents and I didn’t get to interact at all — everyone shot their episodes at different times. But all these young men are very special to me. Donald, for example, I first met him in the late 2000s when I was hosting the Mzansi Awards.
I had an orchestra and needed singers, and DJ Cleo mentioned Donald’s name. I brought him on as one of my backing vocalists; apparently, he was so excited to meet me and to be part of that experience. After that, we kept in touch until he released his own work.
I got to know Khuli Chana through working with the same management team, Dream Team, who also managed TKZee. We’ve known each other for over 16 years, and we’ve developed a big-brother-younger-brother kind of relationship.
I believe that, as both genders, we need to strive for good interrelations and coexistence.
— Zwai Bala – Musician
How do you lead by example for younger men?
I have a responsibility throughout, for both genders. You can see it on The Bala Family Show. It was for society to see what it’s like for a man to stand up for the truth without wavering. Even when the whole world was against me, as long as I knew that this was the truth.
I knew it could be encouraging to other women to see that what they are expecting from other men is actually possible. I believe that, as both genders, we need to strive for good interrelations and coexistence.
How do you hope Man and the Mic influences conversations about masculinity?
I love how these guys take themselves seriously. They hone into their craft with such grit and determination, which I love, and I’m pretty sure that’s what’s going to translate on their episodes.
Not only will the show bring good conversations around masculinity, but it will spark good conversations around taking yourself seriously and the commitments one takes and how they carry it through, which will have a broader impact than just talking to young men.
