Vocalist Willis Chimano recently shared the story of when Sauti Sol first earned millions of shillings. By the time the band made their first million, they had already completed their first European tour, although it didn’t bring in much money. The tour was made possible through their first record label, which also produced their first two albums. Chimano recalls, “The value of the deal was in euros, and I think it was around a million shillings at the time. For us, in our 20s, that felt like a lot of money.”
After recording their debut album, Sauti Sol embarked on their first European tour. They started in Amsterdam, where they spent three months living on just 50 euros per week (about Sh6,800) for all four of them. “We shopped at cheaper stores to stretch it out for the entire week,” Chimano remembers. Their first performance was at an elderly care home, where most of the residents were in wheelchairs or using walkers. The band earned 100 to 150 euros per gig (Sh14,000 to Sh20,000), which they gladly accepted. “We saw it as part of the hustle, knowing we were working toward something bigger,” Chimano reflects.
In 2013, a turning point came when Safaricom launched the Twaweza Live campaign, a seven-month initiative that included six concerts across Kenya. This marked the moment when Sauti Sol earned their first significant income. “That was the first time we saw millions of shillings,” Chimano admits.
For the first time, each member began receiving a salary, with each taking home Sh150,000. The group also treated Sauti Sol Entertainment as the fifth member. Chimano used his share to buy a blue Toyota IST for Sh700,000. Currently, Sauti Sol is on an indefinite musical hiatus.