When Sauti Sol announced that they would be taking an indefinite break from music after their concert on 4 November 2023, there was a lot of speculation.
Some quarters argued that there must have been arguments between the members. Others pointed out that the contract with Universal Music Group might have played a role after Sauti Sol allegedly reneged on the deal and feared the repercussions should the label decide to sue the band.
There were also blog reports that the band’s cohesiveness was affected when the members found love and each settled thus distracting them from keeping 100 percent commitment to their craft.
To this day, speculation continues as to why Bien Aime, Polycarp Otieno, Willis Chimano, and producer Savara Mudigi made this decision.
“What do our personal love relationships have to do with anything. Who says when shouldn’t have married? Was it expected that we would remain bachelors forever?
This is despite the outspoken Bien stating in several interviews that it was a mutual decision for the group to take a break after 20 years of working together musically. The thing is we got married and our marriage has been beautiful. The women we found for ourselves are amazing they, have helped ground us down. Is a good thing we found good partners for ourselves. My wife is my manager and has been amazing. It had nothing to do with our wives but rather how we as Sauti Sol feel and what we want for each other”. Bien denys.
Bien, who has since embarked on a promising solo career, still stands by his opinion.
“We have not broken up, we have taken a break. We are on a break to rediscover ourselves, to introspect, and to find something new. The thing is, for the current generation, especially us millennials and Gen Z, it’s not easy to stay in one job for 10 years without needing a change. Sauti Sol was my job for 20 years. That is why we took the break to try and find new jobs, be it solo careers or otherwise,” says Bien.
Although Bien insists that the hiatus is indefinite and does not know exactly when the group will reunite, he maintains that Sauti Sol will return at some point for one reason – money.
“After a while, we will reunite and have another Sauti Sol season, that is for sure, it will happen. It is not a question of if, but when, because there is money involved. The reunion of Sauti Sol means more money, so it’s a must for Sauti Sol to come back. There is value in what we have done and there is value in people seeing us together again. says Bien.
Even as they continue to enjoy their sabbatical, Bien says the four are still best mates, just as they were 20 years ago when they first met in high school.
“People have their versions of how Sauti Sol should be, but we are people who are very much in touch with our emotions and feelings. We are still best friends. The other night I had Sauti Sol over at my place until late and all we did was just vibe and chill and talk about nothing.
As long as our relationship is intact, the rest of the stuff (judgments, speculations, assumptions, etc) is just vuvuzela (noise)”.
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