This archive report was first published on 26 July 2019.
Published on July 26, 2019, Bien Baraza, a member of the popular Kenyan band Sauti Sol, has expressed his support for Beyonce's new album The Gift, which has been criticized by some East African artists for not featuring any Kenyan artists.
According to Bien, Beyonce was looking for an Afrobeat sound, which is why she chose to work with West African artists instead of East African ones.
He urged Kenyans to focus on their hustle and work harder to produce quality music that will eventually get the attention of international artists like Beyonce.
"As Kenyan artists, we should stop that victim mentality that we are being marginalized," Bien said.
He emphasized the need for the Kenyan music industry to step up and produce more quality music with structure, saying, "Guys should just sing and make hits. It will eventually get to Beyonce, but you need to work as an industry. Sauti Sol should not be the only group worthy of being in such an album; we need to be many."
The Lion King movie, which was shot in East Africa, was expected to feature East African artists, but it did not. Bien's comments come as a response to the criticism that some East African artists have leveled against Beyonce for not featuring any Kenyan artists in her album.
