Celebrity News
Loyiso Bala Opens Up About His Longstanding Friendship With Pearl Thusi Before Fame
Loyiso Bala recently reflected on his relationship with Pearl Thusi. The account centred on a period long before either name carried public weight.
Bala’s account traces a friendship that began nearly two decades ago, long before either had settled into the roles that now define their public identities. At the time, there were no expectations attached, no audiences watching, and no reputations to protect. What existed instead was proximity, shared ambition, and the slow familiarity that comes from growing alongside someone rather than meeting them at the height of success.
Loyiso Bala – Instagram
In a message shared publicly, Bala described a bond formed well ahead of industry recognition. He referenced how life has since moved in practical directions: careers maturing, families expanding, and responsibilities shifting. The tone was casual and unsentimental, marked by lived detail instead of sentimentality. One moment he recalled was from his wedding almost 15 years ago, where Thusi caught the bouquet, a memory he recalled with lighthearted humour.
That sense of ordinariness is what gives the account its weight. Bala did not frame the friendship around milestones or achievements. Instead, he placed it within everyday moments. The emphasis was less on what they have become and more on how long they have known each other as people.
Pearl Thusi – Instagram
Their connection has also been referenced during more difficult periods. During the pandemic, public discussion around the Bala family’s living situation drew attention after reports overstated the circumstances. Bala later clarified that the narrative had been misrepresented. What remained clear, however, was that close friends were present during a disruptive period, offering support discreetly.
For Thusi, whose career continues to expand across acting, broadcasting, and music, the idea of a stable personal circle has often surfaced in her public remarks. Bala’s account aligns with that position, suggesting a relationship maintained outside professional cycles and public validation.
Photo Credit – Instagram
What makes this account notable is not longevity alone. Many public figures share long histories. What is less common is the willingness to describe those relationships without shaping them into lessons or symbols. Bala’s words do not attempt to elevate the friendship into something exceptional. They simply place it where it belongs: before the attention, before the expectations, and long before either career needed explaining.
The story captures a friendship that has lasted without the pressures of fame. It documents a connection that has remained intact not because it was visible, but because it did not need to be.
Zoë Modiga and producer Thembinkosi Banda, popularly known as BandaBanda, are at loggerheads. The disagreement is about the release of a new remix of “Thula”, a song originally released by BandaBanda featuring Modiga in June 2025.
The latest version, “Thula (Culoe De Song Remix)”, was released on September 4, 2026. It is credited to Culoe De Song and BandaBanda, featuring Zoë Modiga, and on streaming platforms.
Photo: Instagram/@BandaBandanow
Modiga said the release came out without her approval.
In a statement issued by her team, Modiga said she had no knowledge of the remix.
““I want to make it clear that I had no prior knowledge of, involvement in, or approval of the release in question,” Modiga said.
“I was neither consulted about nor did I give my approval for the release,”
According to Modiga, the dispute is bigger than the song. She said there are unresolved questions involving the rights, ownership and commercial arrangements.
Photo: Instagram/@BandaBandanow
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She instructed her legal representatives to address the matter. Modiga said she does not want the issue to become a public argument.
BandaBanda has given a different account.
In his response, he said the original “Thula” was released on June 12, 2025, and was later re-recorded live in 2026 as part of his ISIKHATHI project. He said the music was shared with Modiga before the remix came out and that the communications form part of the documented record.
BandaBanda also said there had been attempts over several months to resolve outstanding matters. He claimed that meetings were arranged and follow-ups were made.
Photo: Instagram/@BandaBandanow
The dispute is serious because Modiga and BandaBanda have a long professional history. BandaBanda has been involved in Modiga’s music over the years, including her 2020 album Inganekwane. Their relationship was both a romantic and creative one. BandaBanda has described “Thula” as a song about peace and quietness.
The two sides have placed very different versions of events on record. Modiga maintains that she did not approve the remix and has taken the matter to her legal representatives, while BandaBanda says there was communication and that attempts were made to resolve the wider professional issues.
The remix remains available on streaming services. But there are questions around approval, ownership, rights and commercial arrangements. Everyone is waiting for the courts to decide the case.
Beyoncé is celebrating 20 years of B’Day with an anniversary edition of the album. B’Day will be released on September 4, 2026.
B’Day was Beyoncé’s second solo studio album and followed her 2003 debut, Dangerously in Love. The album featured some of her best tracks. The edition has 27 tracks which has the original album with B-sides, rare recordings, and Spanish-language versions.
Image: @beyonce/Instagram
The full tracklist for the deluxe edition includes:
- Déjà Vu
- Get Me Bodied
- Suga Mama
- Upgrade U
- Ring the Alarm
- Kitty Kat
- Freakum Dress
- Green Light
- Irreplaceable
- Check on It
- Beautiful Liar
- Flaws and All
- Resentment
- Listen
- Morning Dew (Donk)
- My First Time
- Can I Watch You
- Welcome to Hollywood
- Lost Yo Mind
- Creole
- Back Up
- Get Me Bodied (Extended Mix)
- Irreplaceable (Irreemplazable)
- Amor Gitano
- Listen (Oye)
- Beautiful Liar(Bello Embustero)
- Get Me Bodied(Mueve el Cuerpo
The physical release is for collectors. The four-LP deluxe edition comes on 180-gram Bayou Blue vinyl and includes a 60-page booklet and two art prints.
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Beyoncé will make the anniversary project available in two-LP editions and a CD. These give fans options depending on their needs.
Image: @beyonce/Instagram
The original B’Day remains an important album in Beyoncé’s career. She has worked with Pharrell Williams, Ryan Tedder and The Dream who are top producers.
This anniversary gives fans an opportunity to to enjoy some of Beyoncé’s old songs. It also shows how much material surrounded the making of B’Day.
Twenty years after its original release, B’Day is returning in a much larger package. The anniversary edition combines familiar hits, lesser-known recordings, Spanish-language versions and newer material into one 27-track collection.
Sean “Diddy” Combs could face criminal charges in connection with the 1996 murder of Tupac Shakur. This has become a possibility during the ongoing trial of Duane “Keffe D” Davis.
Davis, 63, is accused of orchestrating the September 7, 1996 shooting in Las Vegas. Prosecutors say the attack followed a fight at the MGM Grand involving Shakur, members of his entourage and Davis’ nephew, Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson. Shakur was riding in a BMW with Death Row Records co-founder Marion “Suge” Knight when a white Cadillac pulled up and Shakur was shot four times.
Photo: Getty Images
Davis has pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors have built much of their case around statements he made over the years, including a 2008 police interview and his 2019 memoir, Compton Street Legend. Davis admitted he was in the Cadillac and described what happened that day.
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According to former police detective Daryn Dupree, Davis claimed Combs offered $1 million to have Shakur and Knight killed. He said:
“Sean ‘Puffy’ Combs supposedly had given money to Zip Martin to give to Mr. Davis for payment for the Tupac murder,”
Those allegations have never resulted in criminal charges against Combs. His representatives have denied his involvement. People reported that Combs is not a witness in Davis’ current trial.
Photo: Getty Images
Legal experts say the absence of Combs from the scene would not prevent prosecutors from charging him if credible evidence links him to the killing. Ex-prosecutor Neama Rahmani explained that Combs could face a charge if investigators could corroborate Davis’ allegation.
A Nevada judge had ruled that Davis’ 2008 police interview could be used at trial. The decision gives prosecutors another opportunity to present his statements about the shooting and the events surrounding it to jurors.
The Davis trial could become important if new evidence shed light on the alleged financial arrangements behind the killing. Nearly 30 years after Shakur’s death, the proceedings have reopened questions about who planned the attack and if there is anyone involved.
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