Bien

Few Kenyan musicians move as easily between the studio and the boardroom as Bien-Aimé Alusa Baraza, known simply as Bien. He is a member of Sauti Sol, the Afropop band, and also works as a music executive. His sound fuses rhumba with afrobeats and amapiano, and his writing often engages with social and political concerns. The protest song Maandamano, made with the rapper Breeder, highlights issues affecting Kenyans. He has also spoken out against the Music Copyright Society of Kenya over the royalties it pays local artists.

Sol Generation Records signed Bien in 2021, and his solo run took off with songs such as Dimension, Inauma and Mbwembwe. In March 2023 Spotify named him its most followed artist, and Inauma became the most streamed Kenyan song on the platform. His debut album, Alusa Why Are You Topless, arrived that year with 16 tracks featuring Ayra Starr, Ms Banks and Scar Mkadinali. He won a Grammy for songwriting on Burna Boy's Twice As Tall, and in 2025 a Trace Award for Best Artist in Eastern Africa. Having joined Quality Control Music, he is preparing second album Alusa Continua, due on 20 November.