The weather is the coolest I have ever seen in Lagos, he says. It’s another regular day in Nigeria’s commercial hub for Bien- Aimé Baraza, Grammy-winning Kenyan bard and one-third of the celebrated boy band sensation Sauti Sol. As he muses over the megacity’s cultural scene, he recalls his fond visits over the years.
“I love going to the Afrika Shrine to watch Femi Kuti play for hours.” It’s a calm weekday afternoon at Kalakuta Museum in the bustling Ikeja suburbs of Lagos. Bien, accompanied by his Nigerian manager and wife, has been wrapped up in a retinue of meetings all day.
The 37-year-old maestro is thousands of kilometres from home talking about his latest project, Alusa Why Are You Topless? , the 21-track deluxe edition of his debut solo album. From the Rumba rhythms of Central Africa to the neo-pop corners of Afrobeats, Bien reignites the warmth of the love-themed record, adding five additional songs featuring Fally Ipupa, Adekunle Gol d, Shine TTW, Rayvanny, and Wretch32. Throughout the album, the tall, charismatic gentleman glides through his feelings, buttering the songs with rich storytelling—a hallmark of East African pop stars.
The entire record is a metaphor for emotional vulnerability and the beauty of embracing it. READ ALSO: Get ready with music: create the Vibe, set the trend With R&B as his forte, Bien steps into the spotlight, while Sauti-Sol remains on hiatus. The group announced last year that they were pausing their act to focus on indi.