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Sauti Sol

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Biography

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.[2][3] 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.[5] The band later added the Spanish word “Sol” (sun) to their name and formed Sauti Sol (supposed to mean “voices in the sun”).[11] 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.[12] 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.[11] Sauti Sol released their debut studio album Mwanzo on 4 August 2009, via their record label Penya Records, to critical acclaim. In 2009, at a Ford Foundation grantee meeting hosted by the School of Journalism at the University of Nairobi, Willis Austin Chimano made the declaration that his group was the “first Kenyan band to record socially-conscious music”.[13] The band then 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.[14]

News / Ranking / Titbits / Awards

The following article outlines the awards and nominations received by Kenyan afro-pop band Sauti Sol. Formed in 2005, the band has since grown to become one of the most successful musical acts in Africa, gaining considerable attention, praise and recognition for their work. While neither their debut studio album Mwanzo nor any of its songs were nominated for any awards, the group received a nomination for Best African Newcomer at the 2010 African Music Awards. They received their first major accolade the same year, winning Best Group at the Museke Online Africa Music Awards.[1] In 2011, Sauti Sol was named Best Fusion Artist/Group of the Year at the Kisima Music Awards, while the music video for the song “Coming Home” from their second studio album Sol Filosofia won Best Music Video.[2] The following 3 years saw them pick up a further 6 awards, most notably winning Best African Act at the 2014 MTV Europe Music Awards,[3] becoming the first Kenyan musicians to receive the award.[4] In 2015, the release of their third studio album Live and Die in Afrika saw the group receive continued recognition. The song “Sura Yako” was nominated for 9 awards, winning Most Downloaded Single, Most Downloaded Afro-Pop Single and Most Downloaded Song at the Mdundo Music Awards,[5] while its music video won YouTube Video of the Year at the Pulse Music Video Awards. The song “Nerea”, featuring the duo Amos and Josh, also received numerous nominations, winning Best Collaboration of the Year at the Pulse Music Video Awards.[6] The group was also nominated for Best International Act: Africa at the BET Awards, but lost out to Ghanaian musician Stonebwoy.[7][8]

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