Sauti Sol is a Kenyan Afro-pop group founded in 2005 by Bien-Aimé Baraza, Willis Chimano, and Savara Mudigi in Nairobi, Kenya. Polycarp Otieno, a guitarist, joined the group before they changed their name to Sauti Sol.
In today’s article, we will be discussing details about this band, including their history, career and awards. You do not want to miss this!
Sauti Sol History
Baraza, Chimano, and Savara met at Upper Hill High School and participated in Voices in the Light, a music organization at the school, and founded the band in 2005 as an a cappella group. They then encountered guitarist Otieno, who did attend Strathmore School, at the Alliance française in Nairobi, where they attended, and decided to form Sauti (Swahili for “sound”).
Sauti Sol was founded because the band added the Spanish word “Sol” (sun) to their name (supposed to mean “voices in the sun”).
Sauti Sol Education
All four member all completed their university education in Kenya. Savara had an interest in business and proceeded to study commerce and finance at the Africa Nazarene University, while Baraza studied journalism at the United States International University. Chimano went to the University of Nairobi to study journalism, while Otieno went to the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology to study actuarial science.
Sauti Sol Career
Sauti Sol’s debut studio album Mwanzo was released on 4 August 2009 via their record label Penya Records to great acclaim, and they followed it up two years later with Sol Filosofia. The group won the Best Music Video award at the 2011 Kisima Music Award.
The music video for “Range Rover,” the album’s lead single, was shot at the Hembrug in Zaandam, Netherlands, in an abandoned ammunition warehouse that is now an official cultural heritage site known as “the cathedral.” Dela, a Kenyan singer who previously worked with the Mwanzo band “Mama papa,” is included in the song “Slow,” which also featured Mathambo.
The video for the song was produced in Amsterdam. The band then released the EP’s second song, “Love or Leave,” which was accompanied by a music video recorded in Amsterdam.
Midnight Train, Sauti Sol’s fifth studio album, was released on June 5, 2020. The album included songs from African guest musicians. “Midnight Train” is the album’s lead song, and it is from this song that the album receives its name. Rhumba Japani, Sober, Feel My Love, Insecure, Nenda Lote, Brighter Days, Set Me Free, and Wake Up are among the album’s other tracks.
Sauti Sol Awards
The Sauti Sol band has been awarded several awards and recognitions which is owing to the hardwork they put in their music and production. Some of the awards are:
‘All Africa Music Awards’, ‘BET Awards‘, ‘Channel O Music Video Awards’, ‘HiPipo Music Awards’, ‘Kisima Music Awards’, ‘MTV Africa Music Awards’, ‘MTV Europe Music Awards’, and ‘Nigeria Entertainment Awards’.
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