Sauti Sol speak out on gig at President's bash

A call from First Lady Margaret Kenyatta on Saturday changed plans for members of Sauti Sol, who recently won the MTV Europe Award for Best African Act.

The four artistes were in Kilifi for a show when they received an invitation to perform at President Uhuru Kenyatta's birthday celebrations at State House in Nairobi the next day. The President was turning 53.

“We reorganised ourselves and came back to Nairobi for the party, which was a big deal for us to have been invited,” said Bien-Aime Baraza, a member of Sauti Sol.

The group entertained the President for the better part of the evening in an invites-only event that was meant for his immediate family members.

“We were the only artistes in the party and there was no politician even, just his close relatives.”

For Bien-Aime, it was an experience of a lifetime to hang out with the President and even chat on different issues, including the country’s music industry.

“He has demystified the presidency and really wants to help and does not care about the politics in the industry, he just wants things to get better for musicians,” added an elated Bien-Aime.

PRESIDENT'S TWEET

President Kenyatta was instrumental in the group’s win during the ongoing MTV EMA campaigns, tweeting several times through his official account and urging Kenyans to vote for the group.

“We won by a landslide in the wildcard category that was first then in the Best African Act because of his support. He is still tweeting for us to win the Worldwide Act and that means a lot for us as he is the republic’s President,” added Bien-Aime.

The group first met the President in 2011 during nominated MP Johnson Sakaja’s wedding and has performed several times in events that he attended.

The group has been enjoying moments of glory after glory.

It all started when they released “Nishike”, which received a lot of airplay, followed by “Sura Yako” that had fans dancing to the Lipala moves, not forgetting the recent wins in the MTV Awards.