Today at Soot Africa, we’re going to be looking at the sensational singing group from Kenya, Sauti Sol. I bet you’ve heard of them and their rich voices with scintillating harmonic blends that the world recognized as authentic. Let’s backtrack a little bit to see the history of Sauti Sol and how the amazing Afro-pop group came to be.
The Inception Of Sauti Sol
What started out as high school boys singing for fun turned out to be an award-winning band years later. Members of Sauti Sol, Baraza, Chimano, and Savara met at Upper High School. At the time, they sang acapella together in a small school music group called Voices In The Light. Before long, they met their guitarist, Otieno, and they started making magic together.
Sauti Sol was formed in 2005, but was only known as “Sauti” which is the Swahili word for “Sound”. Eventually, they added the Spanish word “Sol ” meaning sun, to give a name they interpret as “Voices in the sun”. If you’ve heard a good Sauti Sol song, then you can’t deny that those rich vocal blends really do make you feel like you’re approaching the sun.
Music Career
The first song the group ever wrote together was “Mafunzo ya Dunia”, translated to “Lessons of The World”. It wasn’t until years later they released their debut studio album “MWANZO” in August 2009. The group got signed to Penya Records, under which they released a second studio album two years later. It was named “Sol Filosofia” and it fared even better than their debut album.
By 2011, they got recognition with awards for Best Music Video & Best Group of the year at the Kisima Awards Ceremony. Their music continued to gain more recognition and awards on renowned platforms. Platforms like MTV Music Awards and Channel O music video awards, The Headies, and BET nominations, among several others.
The Sound Evolution Of Sauti Sol
One of the things I love most about this band from Nairobi is how much their sound grows and evolves with time. They evolve but sustain the originality we fell in love with right from the beginning. They started out with a lot of traditional Kenyan styles in their music. This was evident in songs like “Awinja” and “Mbinguini”, great songs from their 2011 album, “Sol Filosofia”.
Eventually, their sound began to evolve even more into more upbeat pop melodies. Yet they maintained their music writing style which addressed a lot of life issues. By 2015, a newer version of Sauti Sol emerged, with their style leaning more towards electronic infusions and well-balanced vocal harmonies. Their 2015 album “Live and Die In Afrika” depicts this, with hit songs like “Dolla Dollar” and “Sambo Party”.
In the following years, the band didn’t shy away from more contemporary Afro-pop sounds. This was evident in their 2019 album “Afrikan Sauce”. This body of art featured icons like Burna Boy, Yemi Alade, and Patoranking. Their 2020 album “Midnight Train” took us back with choral infusions from Soweto Gospel Choir, while maintaining a modernized Afro-pop style.
Sauti Sol evolved along with their sound, as individuals and as a group. In other Sauti Sol news, Chimano who was the baritone performer of the band came out as gay in 2021. In an interview, he told a local news platform he was “Tired of living in the shadows”, when he publicly identified with the LGBT Community.
The music group has consistently refined its sound since its debut in the 2000s, and has remained relevant ever since. We can only be grateful for the vocal magic Sauti Sol delivers to its audience year after year. I bet you’re as excited as I am, to hear what next they have in store.
Just because we can, let’s listen to a Sauti Sol classic. This is a song that reminisces about a life that begins and ends on the rich African soil surrounded by beautiful African art and culture.