Meet Willis Chimano, One Of The Sauti Sol Singers That Came Out As Gay In Kenya.

Willis Austin Chimano is one of the stars of the afro-pop Kenyan band, Sauti Sol. He recently came out as gay in Kenya, a country where gay sex is punishable by up to 14 years in prison.

The 34-year-old singer revealed his sexual orientation in an interview with The Standard, a local publication, noting that being gay is the true representation of who he is.

“It is the first time I am expressing myself in a song. You really get to know who Chimano is and that is a heavy crown to carry. It is just a representation of the underground ballroom culture within the queer community… which I am part of,” he said while promoting ‘Friday Feeling’, his latest pop single.

Childhood and Education

Willis Chimano was born in Nairobi Kenya on the 9th of July 1987 into a Christian home. He was the third born in a family of four. He attended  Kakamega high school for his secondary education but was later transferred to Upper Hill School where he met his fellow band members Savara Mudigi and Bien Barasa.

He later joined the University of Nairobi where he graduated with a degree in Journalism and Media Studies.

Musical Career

As earlier stated, Willis Chimano met his bandmates Savara Mudigi and Bien Baraza in high school. After completing high school, Polycarp who went to Strathmore school joined in to complete the group.

The group initially formed as an acapella and later as it gained an audience it transitioned to Afro-pop music. Also, their initial group name was ‘Sauti’ (Swahili word which means sound), and later they added ‘Sol’ (Spanish word which means sun). The ultimate name Sauti Sol was supposed to mean ‘voices in the sun.’

Willis Chimano started becoming popular when they released a hit song back in 2011 on the Sol Filosofia album called ‘soma kijana.’ The song was advocating for education for all youths in Kenya and Africa at large.

The group has released five albums so far. They include Mwanzo(2008), Sol Filosofia (2011), Live and Die in Africa (2015), African Sauce (2019), and Midnight Train(2020).

The Kenyan band has won more than 30 awards and has been nominated more than 50 times in local and international award contests.

Some of the Awards include; MTV Europe Music Award for Best African Act, MTV Africa Music Award for Best Group, Soundcity MVP Award for Best Group and All Africa Music Award for Album of the Year in Africa. etc