Kenya: Sauti Sol appears on Times Square billboard

The billboard, courtesy of YouTube Music, features visuals from the video of the band’s hit single ‘Suzanna’, which is off Sauti Sol’s fourth studio album Midnight Train.

“Thank you, YouTube Music for celebrating black voices and allowing us to be heard globally #YouTubeBlack #YouTubeMusic,” the group wrote on Instagram. 

Sauti Sol has become a serious player on the African music scene and has won a host of international awards, including accolades at the BET Awards, MTV Europe Music Awards and MTV Africa Music Awards.

The group signed a recording contract with Universal Music Africa last year and on 12 January it was named among the 21 artists who made the #YouTubeBlack Voices Artist Class of 2021. The Class of 2021 is the first group of black creators and artists selected worldwide as part of the streaming platform’s YouTubeBlack Voices grant programme – an initiative dedicated to investing in black creators and artists, and equipping them with the resources to succeed on the platform. 

Sharing the news on Instagram, the group said: “We're excited to be part of the first #YouTubeBlack Voices Artist Class along with 20 other incredible artists. Our identity informs our sonics, our storytelling, and our fashion. Much like our country, Kenya, our music is multi-layered, with an East Africa groove. Our passion is for the craft and artistry of music, and our music is a soundtrack to people’s lives.”

Meanwhile, singer Bensoul, who is signed to Sauti Sol’s label Sol Generation Records, has released his first single in the year titled ‘Nairobi’. The song elicited massive reaction and amassed more than 20 000 views on YouTube within an hour of its release on 15 January. 

Watch 'Nairobi' below: