Sitting on a balcony at the Westcliff hotel overlooking Jan Smuts Avenue, one can hardly see the road. The only things visible are the many, many trees – literally hundreds of lush, green trees. Which seems crazy, really, considering it’s the middle of winter and you’d expect most trees out there to be bare. But Joburg winters are far from common. The air is crisp, but dry. And it’s warm in the sun – a typical winter’s day up here. R&B crooner Loyiso Bala arrives – fashionably late – looking quite shattered. He performed and partied until 2 the morning before, and I find out later that he only just received his engraved South African Music Awards (SAMAs) – hence the celebrations. But he doesn’t let his obvious exhaustion get the better of him. He knocks back a Red Bull and is ready to rock – well, at least in front of the camera…
For someone who has a successful career in music, Loyiso tells me that only today – having just received another three SAMA accolades – is he the proud owner of more music awards than fashion awards. That’s right, Loyiso is not only a talented singer. He’s a stylish man too. So stylish, in fact, that he was nominated as one of South Africa’s best-dressed men by GQ magazine two years ago. He also won the YOU magazine Spectacular Award and was the runner up in the Cosmopolitan Sexiest Man Alive Awards. “It’s always great getting any award, but I don’t see myself as a style-award winner, even though they’re always welcome! Still, I don’t want to run out of space on my shelf…” he jokes.
And it’s not just awards that clutter Loyiso’s shelf space. He has roughly 70 pairs of shoes and confesses to buying new ones every month. “I buy a new pair of white sneakers every month,” he ‘fesses up. “I don’t like clothes to start looking tired. An artist always has to look fresh.” Seems keeping up appearances is the number one priority in Loyiso’s life. This is why, he tells me, he even has a cosmetic sponsorship through Comfort Zone – an Italian brand that’s just come into the country. And it’s not because he’s metrosexual or anything like that.
“I’ve always believed that as an artist or a musician or an entertainer, or someone who is always in front of people, you need to look fresh,” he maintains with a smile. How fresh he actually is, we’re not so sure. He admits that his favourite piece of clothing is a Carducci shirt that he wears all the time. And even though he finds himself reassuring his agents that it’s been ages since he last wore it, they usually have to break it to him gently that he wore it the previous week. He loves his jeans too – especially his pair of True Religions that are “such a great fit”. It’s easy to look fabulous all the time though, when you’re sponsored by Carducci like Loyiso is.
And how did he get this awesome deal? “I’d always worn their stuff at the J&B Met and SAMAs, and after having won the YOU Spectacular Award and also the Cosmo Award it just “kind of happened”, he reveals – modestly.
When he’s not singing he likes to shop. And he likes to shop in Sandton. Being the überstylish man that he is, he loves Fabiani, High Tech and of course all the “flamboyant” designers such as Gucci and Armani. “I just like expensive clothes,” he jokes. And it seems he likes expensive accessories too. The most expensive thing he’s ever bought, he tells me, is his watch. It’s a U-Boat, and he just loves it.
And obviously music is his passion. He’s into “a whole mix of stuff” including Boys To Men, Bryan McKnight, SWV, some of the older Janet Jackson stuff and Nirvana. And yes, we asked him. He does turn the volume up when he hears his own songs come on the radio while driving! Apparently, songs always sound so much better when played on the radio than when played on a CD, and South Africa’s singing sensation admits he gets “very excited” when he hears his own music in the car.
Loyiso’s (other) fans range from 3-year-olds to just about everyone else. He believes that his music transcends race, and that shows in his shows. “When I performed at 46664 last year, we had the biggest mix of people, yet everyone was singing along to the songs,” he recalls.
He is one of only a handful of local artists who performed at Mandela’s 46664 concert in the UK, which is quite something, considering there were 20 local artists who performed at the 2007 concert. He played alongside Leona Lewis, Amy Winehouse, Queen, Annie Lennox, Josh Groban and others. Last year he did a duet with Corinne Bailey Ray, and this year it was with Jamelia.
He hopes that one day it will be with Alicia Keys, though. Why? He was classically trained, and so was she. “I play the piano too, and it would be a great synergy to have two grand pianos looking at each other and have the two of us going on a musical rampage. We’d make a good noise,” he says.
After chatting to Loyiso for half an hour, we realise it’s vibe and energy that makes him tick, and explains why he loves living in Joburg as much as he does. “What I love about Joburg is the buzz – it’s like the buzz you get in New York. The great thing about Joburg (compared to other cities around the world) is that there’s both a country and city-life feel to Joburg. There’s also a retro feel to Joburg.
Perhaps it’s because of Apartheid, but somehow if you’re a visitor to this country, you have places to choose from. Joburg is full of interesting people, but still has a chilled-out vibe. There’s something here for everyone. What’s more, it’s driven. And as a musician I couldn’t stay anywhere else. Joburg is where the industry is alive.”
Spending an afternoon with this talented man was more refreshing than a swim in Clifton’s sea. And it wasn’t just the awesome views from the Westcliff hotel, or the unusual winter weather, that made it so. It was getting to know a musician with so much soul… so much personality. Someone who, when asked what he would do if he were invisible for a day, said he would go to Nelson Mandela’s house to just sit, listen and learn. “Everything that comes out of his mouth will add 10 years to your life,”
he says. Ha. We couldn’t have said it better ourselves.