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Growing up in Kwa-Nobuhle township outside Port Elizabeth,
the brothers have been known at home since the eldest, Zwai,
broke the color barrier of South Africa's famed Drakensberg Boys
Choir by becoming its first black member in 1988.
His siblings followed in his footsteps and the brothers
eventually formed their own group, performing at the 2013
memorial concert for Nelson Mandela.
They released their self-titled U.S. debut album in March, which
took the No. 1 spot on Amazon and shot up Billboard's World
Music Chart.
"It's every artist's dream ... I think for me because I am so
new, I can go back home and be like, 'Hey guys' and feel like I
made it," Phelo, the youngest, told Reuters in an interview.
In February, U.S. broadcaster PBS aired a special concert
featuring the trio, which the brothers, who sing in English and
the Xhosa language, say exposed them to a new audience.
"We had to kind of keep some things tame, not too many clicks
(to) let them understand," Loyiso said, referring to consonant
sounds in Xhosa.
Songs on the album include their version of Paul Simon hit
"Under African Skies" and their Xhosa love song "Masibuyelane".
The brothers hope to tour the U.S. at the end of the year.
"We really hope that it will take us beyond (where) any other
South African or African actor ever stepped. We are representing
Africa, we're not just representing ourselves," Zwai said.
"We believe that a lot of African kids look up to us and they
look at our story as a family, as well as Africans making a
difference."
(Writing by Marie-Louise Gumuchian in London; Editing by Louise
Ireland)
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