Sauti Sol is a Kenyan Afropop boy band established 18 years ago in Nairobi by four talented and passionate artists who gave it their all. The group has stood the test of time to become one of the most successful African bands conquering not only Kenya but Africa as a whole.
In the history of music and especially in the digital era very few bands have survived together for more than five years but the Kenyan boys now men have been with each other for 18 years.
The group has seen each other through thick and thin and after years of great success the group officially announced their break up as a band. In our feature, we take a look at the successful journey of Sauti Sol from a cappella band to a world-celebrated band.
Sauti Sol Career
Sauti Sol came into existence in 2005 but at the time the band was known as Voices in the Light, a school band with three members, Bien-Aimé Baraza, Willis Chimano, and Savara Mudigi. The trio were all in the same school in Upper Hills and one thing they had in common was music.
After completing High School they met a fourth member, a guitarist by the name of Polycarp Otieno famously known as “Fancy Fingers.” Following the inclusion of a new member, Sauti Sol was born. Sauti means Sound and Sol means sun in Spanish.
The passionate boys went on and wrote their first song dubbed “Mafunzo ya Dunia” which they would later feature in their first album. In 2006, they came into the limelight after they appeared in a Kenyan Music competition where they landed a deal and got signed by Penya Records which was one of the biggest recording labels at the time.
On August 4th, 2009, the band went the extra mile releasing their first Album titled “Mwanzo” under the Penya Record. Mwanzo did exemplary well in the market with its flagship single titled “Lazizi.”
The album also had other hits including Mafunzo ya Dunia and Blue Uniform. Two years later after releasing the first album, Sauti Sol dropped their second album titled Sol Filosofia on 25th Feb 2011. This marked their breakthrough as it earned the band numerous accolades as well as nominations for different awards.
Still, in 2011, the group pocketed the Kisima Music Awards for their “Coming Home” video which was nominated for the Best Music Video. On top of that, the group went on to win the Best Fusion Artist/Group of the Year Award.
Sauti Sol Breakthrough
Sauti Sol’s name began growing bigger in 2012 when they released their extended play (EP) in collaboration with a South African producer. The EP produced a hit dubbed “Range Rover” the hit went on to become a national anthem. The boys also got the opportunity to shoot the video of the song outside Kenya shooting it in Hembrug in Zaandam, Netherlands.
Another hit from the EP was Gentleman featuring P-Unit which earned them a nomination for the “Teeniez’ Group” award at the 2012 Chaguo la Teeniez Awards but they lost it to a then-known group dubbed Camp Mulla. Still, in 2012, they were nominated and won the Most Gifted East African award at the 2012 Channel O Music Video Awards.