Portal:Kenya/Selected culture biography/12
Sauti Sol is a Kenyan Afro-pop band from Nairobi comprising members; Bien-Aimé Baraza (vocals, guitar), Polycarp Otieno (guitar), Willis Austin Chimano (vocals, saxophone, keytar) and Delvin Mudigi (vocals, percussion, drums) formed in 2005. Starting off as an a cappella group, Bien, Chimano and Delvin previously met in Upper Hill high school where they performed in Voices in the Light, a high school music group. After that stint, the trio met guitarist Polycarp at Alliance Française, where they would frequent and decided to form Sauti (Swahili for voice) and immediately wrote their first song, Mafunzo ya Dunia (Life Lessons) that would later feature in their first album, Mwanzo which is Swahili for "beginning”, which was released in August 2009.
Their sophomore album, Sol Filosofia, was released in February, 2011. The band has had successful tours in Europe as well as in Africa, topped Kenyan charts and gained international attention with shows in Europe and the US, as well as television appearances, various nominations, including their 2011 celebrated concert performance in Kenya with Ladysmith Black Mambazo (Internationally renowned South African a cappella group). In June 2012, Sauti Sol released ‘Sauti Sol’, a self-titled EP and collaborative effort with South African avant-garde innovative rapper/producer Spoek Mathambo.