Sauti Sol Members Biography; Songs, Lifestyle And More

But after she‘clicked’ and got entangled in an enchanting conversation and exchanged contacts at the nightclub where they first met, things kind of fell into place and now they are heading to their second year.
Chiki went on to reveal that she knows that there are haters who think that she is into Bien for the fame but she discloses what they have is real.

Bien-Aime Baraza and kids

Bien-Aime Baraza has for the longest time managed to steer his personal life away from the public eye but not anymore. Photos emerged of his two kids and his babies’ mama, Bijou Baraza.

Bien-Aime Baraza Social media; Instagram and twitter accounts below

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Polycarp Otieno Biography

Polycarp Otieno is a guitarist and producer. His signature style – guitar  riffs blends with the group’s mix of soulful vocal harmonies and drum  rhythm. His love for the guitar started early when he attended free guitar  lessons at All Saints Cathedral. The lessons were terminated soon after  but he continued to play at the French Cultural Centre (FCC), where    while studying French.

Since Sauti Sol’s inception in 2006, Polycarp has remained active in the  group and part of the creation of Sauti Sol two albums: Mwanzo (2008) and Sol Filosofia (2011). He is currently involved as a guitarist and producer in the band’s final production of their upcoming album.

Polycarp has also produced music for several acclaimed musicians including Suzanna Owiyo and Dela. He says of his career advancement and experience being from being involved in Sauti Sol’s first two albums: Mwanzo and Sol Filosofia, “Since my childhood days, I have loved music. In fact, it was my best subject in class while at primary school. At some point, I even made guitars out of containers and strings, not knowing that I would one day be a guitarist.”

Polycarp graduated from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology with a degree in Actuarial Science. He remains active in Sauti Sol’s Soma Soma Initiative which champions education among youth.

Polycarp Otieno Social media; Instagram and twitter accounts below

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Savara Mudigi Biography

Savara Mudigi is a vocalist, producer,drummer,Dj and actor. His versatility in    the band has played an instrumental role during tour and in the establishment  on their imprint label: Sauti Sol Entertainment.
Since Sauti Sol’s inception in 2006, Savara has remained active in the group  and part of the creation of Sauti Sol two albums: Mwanzo (2008) and Sol  Filosofia (2011). He is currently the main producer working on the band’s  upcoming album.

Inspired by Sauti Sol’s first two albums: Mwanzo and Sol Filosofia, Savara    says, “I write music differently as compared to any other artists out there.    Much as my music will rule the world, heroism and power are at the least of my priorities. I simply want people to feel what I feel when am doing my music.”

Savara has produced most of the songs from Sauti Sol’s new album #LiveandDieinAfrika working closely with Polycarp Otieno aka Fancy Fingers. He occasionally produces for numerous artists like Elani and is constantly networking with international producers and DJs.
Savara completed a Bachelor in commerce/finance from Africa Nazarene University of East Africa in 2012.

Savara Mudigi Social media; Instagram and twitter accounts below

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Willis Austin Chimano Biography

Willis Austin Chimano is a vocalist, keytar and saxophone player. His  deep voice and flamboyant style makes him stand out in the group.  Before the formation of Sauti Sol, Chimano contested and won in the  annual Fête de la Musique music competition at the French Cultural  Centre, while studying French. After the competition Chimano went to  Paris for a two-week experience where he got to sample new music  translations.
Since Sauti Sol’s inception in 2006, Chimano has remained active in the  group and part of the creation of Sauti Sol two albums: Mwanzo (2008)  and Sol Filosofia (2011). He is currently involved as a guitarist and  producer.
Chimano says: “I met Sauti Sol members individually in three different scenarios. And it’s the dynamics of how we all came together as a band that still baffle me irrespective of the fact that three of us were in the same high school. It was pure serendipity that despite different career dreams, music brought us together in a way inexplicable.”
Chimano graduated from University of Nairobi with a degree in Journalism & Media Studies. He remains active in Sauti Sol’s Soma Soma Initiative which champions education among youth.

Willis Austin Chimano Social media; Instagram and twitter accounts below

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THE BAND BACKGROUND AND HISTORY

The band was formed in 2005 as an a cappella group by Baraza, Chimano and Savara, who had met at the Upper Hill High School and performed in Voices in the Light, a music group at the school. They then met guitarist Otieno, who attended Strathmore School, at the Alliance française in Nairobi, where they would frequent and decided to form Sauti (Swahili for “sound “) and immediately wrote their first song, “Mafunzo ya Dunia” (Literally: lessons of the world), which would later feature in their debut studio album Mwanzo. The band later added the Spanish word “Sol” (sun) to their name and formed Sauti Sol (supposed to mean “voices in the sun”). In 2006, the band participated in the Spotlight on Kenyan Music competition, hosted by the Alliance française in Nairobi. They were included in the album compilation recording and later got signed to Penya Records. The four members all completed their university education in Kenya. Baraza studied journalism at the United States International University, while Savara studied commerce and finance at Africa Nazarene University. Chimano studied journalism at the University of Nairobi, while Otieno studied actuarial science at the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology.

 

CAREER AND SUCCESS

Sauti Sol released their debut studio album Mwanzo on 4 August 2009, via their record label Penya Records, to critical acclaim, and followed up with their second studio album Sol Filosofia two years later. The music video for the album’s second single, “Coming Home”, earned them the Best Music Video award at the 2011 Kisima Music Awards, with the group itself also winning the Best Fusion Artist/Group of the Year award. Sauti Sol and Live and Die in Afrika (2012–present) In July 2012, Sauti Sol released a self-titled extended play, a collaborative effort with South African rapper and record-producer Spoek Mathambo, who produced the EP in Nairobi and Johannesburg. The music video for its lead single, “Range Rover”, was shot at the Hembrug in Zaandam, Netherlands, in an old ammunition factory that is now an official cultural heritage site popularly referred to as “the cathedral”. Kenyan singer Dela, who previously collaborated with the band “Mama papa” from Mwanzo, appeared in the song “Slow”, which also features Mathambo. Its music video was shot in Amsterdam.

The band then released “Love or Leave” as the EP’s second single, with its music video also shot in Amsterdam during the band’s stop in the city as part of their European tour in 2012. Their song “Gentleman” with rap group P-Unit earned them a nomination for the “Teeniez’ Group or Collabo” award at the 2012 Chaguo La Teeniez Awards, losing out to alternative hip hop group Camp Mulla. It was the second time they were nominated for the award, losing to P-Unit the previous year. Sauti Sol’s recognition continued to rise in 2012, as they were nominated for and won the Most Gifted East African award at the 2012 Channel O Music Video Awards for their song “Shukuru” with Tanzanian rapper AY. On 29 April 2014, the band released “Nishike”. Its music video caused an uproar in the media due to its steamy content, and ended up getting banned from most local TV stations. Baraza later expressed his anger with the ban, stating that he refuses “to be a secular artist boxed by society to restrict my freedom of expression.”

They received a nomination for the Best Group award at the 2014 MTV Africa Music Awards, but eventually lost out South African group Mafikizolo. The music video has received a 2014 Nomination as East Africa’s Most Gifted Video by Channel O Music Video Awards  After “Nishike”, Sauti Sol released their third studio album, Live and Die in Afrika. The album, released online on 21 November 2015, was available to Sauti Sol fans globally for free download (48 hours) as an early Christmas present. The album was released under their imprint label Sauti Sol Entertainment as a self-produced work by Sauti Sol for Sauti Sol. A total of 400,000 downloads were made during the free download period. The band released their fourth single off Live and Die in Afrika entitled “Sura Yako” (Your Face).
This was introduced by a spin-off Lipala dance competition run on Instagram that sparked an online dance movement in Africa and across the globe. Following the success of the competition, the band released the single’s music video on 12 September 2014. Influences The band members have named musicians such as Fadhili William, Daudi Kabaka and other established African artists such as Salif Keita, Lokua Kanza and Fally Ipupa, as well as British band Coldplay and American singer Jason Mraz as their influences. Band members

Sauti Sol Awards

Sauti Sol are nominated for the Best Worldwide Act MTV EMA after winning the (Best African Act) 2014 MTV Europe Music Awards.Having won the inaugural Soma Awards in 2013, Sautisol has been declared Winners of the 2014 OLX SOMA Awards in the Best Use of Social Media for Entertainment category.Their music video, “Nishike” has been nominated as East Africa’s Most Gifted Music Video at the 2014 Channel O Music video Awards (CHOAMVA14) as well as 2014 All Africa Music Awards (Best African Group).
In 2013 Sauti Sol received two nods at CHOMVA (Most Gifted Afro Pop Video and Most Gifted East Africa Video) with the hit single, “Money Lover”. In 2012, they won East Africa’s Most Gifted Music Video at CHOMVA with their song “Shukuru” with Tanzanian rapper AY.