Inside Sauti Sol’s big money deal with UMA
ALFAYO ONYANGO illuminates the finer details of a recently-penned mega deal between Sauti Sol and one of the world’s biggest music labels, Universal Music Africa.
In January, multiple award-winning Kenyan pop group Sauti Sol and music company Universal Music Africa (UMA) announced the signing of a mega partnership deal.
The deal is aimed at propelling further Sauti Sol’s global appeal. UMA is the African subsidiary of the global music giant outfit Universal Music Group (UMG).
Following the deal, South African talent agency Africa Creative Agency (ACA) takes the management of the group’s administrative and day-to-day affairs.
The Suzanna hitmakers have been operating independently for 11 years under the stewardship of Marek Fuchs and Sauti Sol Entertainment.
New frontiers
“We now have Sol Generation, but we will still be working with him (Marek), although he will not be managing our day-to-day work anymore.
We are currently managed by a South African manager from ACA,” Sauti Sol’s Bien-Aimé Baraza told Spice.
ACA manages other African stars such as Pearl Thusi, Nasty C and Kim Jayd. It has interests in music, film and sports among other forms of entertainment “ACA was actually born in Nairobi on a kitchen floor about 10 years ago,” says the agency’s CEO Colin Gayle. 
Sauti Sol became the first acts from the East African region to sign to ACA, but not the first to ink a deal with UMG, as gengetone group Ethic Entertainment are also under a management deal with a Kenya-based UMA subsidiary, AI Records.
“Negotiation with UMG lasted three years. In 2018, we had a shift in our management.
We met up with Colin, talked to Sipho Dlamini (UMA’s managing director of South Africa and Sub Sahara region), and signed a tailor-made artiste deal.
The terms favoured both parties, so it was only right,” says Bien.
He adds, “This relationship is not like any other previous deal between any Kenyan acts and a major label.
In the past, many artistes have been swallowed in such dealings, but we are sure this one will take Kenya and the future generations in the music industry to the next level.”
“The deal is structured for them. It is built from their history and it’s about building visuals, touring, creating a world-class record, and bridging the gap between America and Europe.
It is a unique opportunity to grow the industry and building a brand new model,” says Gayle.
The perks
Sauti Sol’s fifth album Midnight Train, their first project with UMA, will have a worldlier yet authentic Sauti Sol sound.
However, its symbolism is different, with the group narrating it as “a relative concept; the last and first train of our musical journey that now begins a new chapter.”
Working with elite American producers such as Andrew Harris (who has worked with Michael Jackson, H.E.R, Chris Brown and Usher, among others) and No ID (who primarily produced American rapper Jay-Z’s most recent album 4:44), is a clear statement of the deal’s magnitude.
“There has never been such a level of freedom, authenticity and maturity from the group just making music all our years together.
Expect the most true form of ourselves on this record,” says Sauti Sol’s Polycarp Otieno aka Fancy Fingers.
Forward gear
The deal was signed officially in February 2019, and Midnight Train spent the whole of last year being worked on behind closed doors with utmost exclusivity.
Producers were flown in from around the world to inspire the recording process.
There will be a pre-order of the album on March 13, ahead of the world release in May. Sauti Sol will then perform in London’s Jazz Cafe on March 28.
Within April, the group will do a promo run in Paris in partnership with Trace.
In May, an East African media tour will commence, the album will drop and the project’s behind the scenes documentary will be screened to the public.
In June and July they will be on a 25-leg tour that will run through USA states such as Los Angeles and New York, as well as in Europe in the UK, Germany and France.
An East African tour will begin onn July 24, with the group resuming their European and US tours in September.
October and November will see them hit Southern and West Africa, while in December it’ll be all about festivals, with major global acts lined up to join them as part of their deal with UMA.
Talking of the new album, Sauti Sol’s Willis Chimano said: “Recording was a mismatch of stress and happiness.
We had such a good vibe on most of the songs in the studio and the support and facilities to thrive were given to us. We feel we’ve made a great product.”
“Support these kids. This is their time and they are an important part of the music culture of Kenya right now.
Gengetone has our full backing,” Sauti Sol’s Savara Mudigi says about gengetone artistes such as Ochungulo Family and Boondocks Gang, whom the group intends to work with in future.
