Sauti Sol's Bien Aime has revealed that in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, he has been forced to survive on royalties.
Bien Aime made these statements when he spoke to Citizen TV's Willy M Tuva in an interview posted on the Mseto East Africa Youtube page on Wednesday, March 25.
"At the moment I am surviving on royalties because I have written many songs for many people. Early last year I was in Germany to work on more songs over there, and that is what has been sustaining me.
"Royalties given to Sauti Sol are also going a long way. My savings too have gone a long way because as an artist you have to save. Hopefully, our savings will push us as far as it can until this nightmare is over," he stated.
He, however, added that the going was not easy as he had many other projects in the pipeline, bills, salaries, and rent to pay for his work offices.
"We have videos from Bensoul and Nviiri that must be done so that they do not stay from the limelight too long and lose relevance. We also have other things, including our singles and more that have been affected.
He added that at the moment, they too had taken to social media to connect with their audiences, a matter that he stated has helped in creating their social media presence and other communication.
He further added that the team was forced to postpone a sold-out tour in London since the outbreak made it impossible for the event to be held.
"In music, we have been taken many steps back as we have had to postpone a sold-out show in London slated for March 28, and forced to cancel so many shows and have lost a lot of money.
"Even our mentees [the Sol Generation] have been affected by these things. I think God saw that we were not ready and needed more practice," Baraza stated.
He further added that the government should consider withdrawing taxes for musicians and artists like him this year due to the massive losses they have posted.
He noted that some countries had already given some form of relief to their citizens in terms of rent and other means due to the COVID-19, but there was not much to write home about in the country.
"I have not heard of any relief in the country, except for 4G bundles. This is a huge joke. Yes, we will use it to the best of our abilities, but people have more pressing issues like food and other basic necessities. There is a lot of money in this country," he stated.
Below is the video...
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