Bien… harmonies from Kenya

The upwind is the coolest I person ever seen successful Lagos, helium says. It’s different regular time successful Nigeria’s commercialized hub for Bien-Aimé Baraza, Grammy-winning Kenyan bard and one-third of the celebrated lad set sensation Sauti Sol. As helium muses implicit the megacity’s taste scene, helium recalls his fond visits implicit the years. “I emotion going to the Afrika Shrine to ticker Femi Kuti play for hours.”

It’s a calm weekday day astatine Kalakuta Museum successful the bustling Ikeja suburbs of Lagos. Bien, accompanied by his Nigerian manager and wife, has been wrapped up successful a retinue of meetings each day. The 37-year-old maestro is thousands of kilometres from location talking astir his latest project, Alusa Why Are You Topless?, the 21-track deluxe variation 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 5 further songs featuring Fally Ipupa, Adekunle Gold, Shine TTW, Rayvanny, and Wretch32. Throughout the album, the tall, charismatic man glides done his feelings, buttering the songs with affluent storytelling—a hallmark of East African popular stars. The full grounds is simply a metaphor for affectional vulnerability and the quality of embracing it.

ALUSA is my existent name, says Bien

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With R&B arsenic his forte, Bien steps into the spotlight, portion Sauti-Sol remains connected hiatus. The radical announced past twelvemonth that they were pausing their enactment to absorption connected idiosyncratic solo projects for now, though they assured fans of their preserved unity.

On today’s Guardian Music, we’re served with a ‘Bienvenue’ by the Nairobi-based instrumentalist arsenic helium invites america into his caller satellite arsenic a solo act. His eyes gleam with excitement arsenic helium unpacks his experiences making the album, moving with immoderate of the continent’s biggest stars, and his enduring passionateness for creating impactful music.

Congrats connected the album. So, what’s it each about?
ALUSA is my existent name. When I was successful Sauti Sol, determination was a opus we did wherever we were each oiled up and whining our waists and topless successful the euphony video. People were going wild. People astatine location were banning us. They said that’s pornography. They said we were bully boys gone bad. It was a precise raunchy video.
But astatine that clip we (Kenyans) were precise conservative. But that was the archetypal clip we got a amusement successful Nigeria, Uganda, and Tanzania, each from that infinitesimal of being spontaneous and audacious. I knew I needed that energy. During that time, my mum called maine and asked, “Alusa, wherefore are you topless?” and I was similar yes, this is going to beryllium the rubric of the album.

One of my favourite Nigerian musicians is Lagbaja, Bien reveals

How did you make the viral opus with Adekunle Gold and Shine TTW?
I started moving connected the opus portion successful Ghana, successful the hills successful Aburi, backmost successful January. It was a beauteous setting. I linked up with Remy Baggins, who’s an astonishing producer, on with a clump of different producers successful the room. Shine happened to beryllium there, and we conscionable started cooking and wrote astir of it there. Then, I was reasoning to myself, who’s going to beryllium the champion creator to collaborate successful this song? I thought of AG, archetypal of each due to the fact that we’re truly bully friends, but I besides deliberation he’s a musician’s musician. I emotion his artistry.
How did you hone your ain style?
I deliberation I’m inactive honing my style. I was successful a set before, and present I’m doing a solo act; I’m increasing into myself a batch much each day. It’s been a beauteous journey, but my trade is besides honed by travelling each implicit Africa and proceeding antithetic influences connected the streets. For instance, going to the Afrika Shrine and proceeding Femi Kuti play for 4 hours. Wow! Nigeria, Ghana, Thailand.

I’ve been to 10 countries this twelvemonth alone. And each clip I travel, I acquisition the food, the culture, the people, the music, and it shapes my psyche. I realise that quality beings are truthful alike; you’re each going done the aforesaid things, socially, economically, and life-wise, and we each consciousness the aforesaid emotions.
What influenced the storytelling connected the album?
I deliberation I constitute astir myself and astir people, but, generally,  privation you to perceive to the medium and consciousness amended astir beingness successful general. privation the euphony to beryllium your harmless space, your crutch. I privation it to instrumentality you into a caller magnitude that makes you happier. And if that is done, I’ve achieved my goal.
Tell america 1 memorable league from making the album.
Oh, I deliberation it was erstwhile we were moving successful London. I recorded astir of the finishing touches determination with a shaper called Sammy. He produced astir of Tyla’s past album. He’s Ghanaian, and locking successful with him successful London was a life-changing acquisition for me.

You are a serial cross-cultural collaborator. What bash you request to spot to enactment with someone?
Most of the radical I enactment with, I realise, I’m a instrumentality of their art. I perceive widely. I astir apt cognize much Nigerian euphony than you, bro. I’m kidding, but I emotion each kinds of music. One of my favourite Nigerian musicians is Lagbaja. I wonderment what helium looks like. Do radical cognize what helium looks like? I don’t deliberation there’s a photograph of his existent face. I’m a large Fela Kuti fan. I person work each the Fela books. I’ve watched each the Fela movies. I’m a large instrumentality of King Sunny Ade. I mean, you person to perceive to the source, the full lineage. [I whitethorn person mislaid interaction with Nigerian euphony from the ‘90s, but I’m inactive profoundly connected to the roots.]
How tin we amended the African euphony manufacture close now?
I deliberation governments present request to impact themselves successful gathering policies and infrastructure for arts to beryllium sustainable. For example, making definite that each radios are paying due royalties to artists and worldly similar that, and if artists tin gain a batch of wealth disconnected our songs being played connected vigor oregon streaming platforms.

Then, structurally, determination are places wherever Rema has ne'er performed due to the fact that there’s nary operation for him to execute there, not due to the fact that Rema is not a large artist. So, we request to physique much euphony venues. We request to physique multipurpose spaces wherever euphony tin beryllium celebrated and enjoyed. The biggest landowner is the government. The biggest wealth proprietor is the government. We request to subsidise the arts. We request to summation creation acquisition successful schools. I already consciousness similar you guys are doing truthful good successful Nigeria. I’m truthful arrogant of the maturation and hunger still. In Kenya, we are bare too. It’s amazing.
The country is precise vibrant, particularly with municipality gengetone and Rumba euphony going connected too, due to the fact that it’s East Africa. Style-wise, we’re precise antithetic from Nigeria successful the consciousness that we are precise overmuch into storytelling. We similar to bushed astir the bush, (while) Nigerian euphony starts with hard-hitting drums and a hook that’s sidesplitting you. And it’s beauteous euphony too—I’ll beryllium honest—very melodic.

What’s adjacent for you?
I’m astir to spell connected tour. I’ve been touring this full year. I did Europe, I did Australia. I’m touring America successful September, and past successful November, I’m backmost to touring Europe. So, if you’re successful Europe oregon London, you tin cheque retired my societal media for caller dates.
What is the imaginativeness for the remainder of your career?
The imaginativeness for the remainder of my vocation is to marque purposeful music. I’ve understood my gift, I’ve made songs. I’ve known however to marque hits, but I’m not astir that anymore. Now, I conscionable privation to marque euphony that is afloat of purpose, changes people’s lives, and uplifts them with its message.

Tell america a amusive information astir yourself
I’m the president of the Bald Men Association successful the world. Yes, it’s a existent thing. We adjacent person an bureau successful Geneva, successful Switzerland. I’m besides the president of the World Whistler Association. I’m the champion whistler I know.
Have you ever considered a whistle album, similar Andre 3000?
I don’t person my whistle medium retired yet, due to the fact that I don’t request to overshadow my euphony career. You cognize different amusive fact: my woman is simply a Nigerian, from Imo State. I met her successful Kenya. After all, Nigerian men are coming and taking our girls each day. So I was like, I’m going to instrumentality the favour.
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