Bensoul with one of his preferred instruments, the guitar.
Bensoul during a past performance. There are talks he could be exiting Sauti Sol alongside Nviiri when their contract ends.
Pairs of Air Jordan, Nike and Gucci sneakers lie haphazardly at the doorstep of a freshly built apartment in Ruaka, Kiambu County.
When the door opens, a strong musk enough to get you vertigo, hangs in the air. Here, it’s an all-men affair.
Vocalist Bien-Aime of the Sauti Sol toys with his phone seated at the far end of the slate-gray sofa.
Music producer and singer Savara Mudigi another of Sauti Sol, occupies the opposite side of the sofa sitting at the edge, engulfed in deep thoughts.
Afro-fusion singer Okello Max is sipping from a tumbler as he calmly stands at the door that opens to the small patio. Someone is tasting his guitar strings. Two other backup artists are humming to the guitar codes. The knocks again, and an army of instrumentalists throng the room.
The entire living room of the apartment has been transformed into a makeshift studio, with a producer running the machinery setup of the sound production.
It's here where the calm and composed Benson ‘Bensoul’ Mutua who lies on a huge bean bag at the center of the room, has invited me for a studio session.
The singer got his moniker from his music teacher at Kagumo High School who felt he sang with so much soul in him.
It’s been two weeks since he released his first album The Party & After Party as an independent artist since parting ways with Sauti Sol’s Sol Generation record label.
New album cost Sh1.5 million
The reception of the new album, his second ‘The Lion of Sudah’, has been gaining good reception with one of the songs ‘Extra Pressure’ featuring Bien, going viral within the first week of its release.
But the Civil Engineering student drop out, says he can’t busk in glory just yet.
“I don’t have that luxury bro. I can’t relax just because the new album is picking up well. I have to keep creating new music to sustain the momentum,” the dreadlock singer and songwriter tells me as we move to the balcony for this chit-chat.
For his new album, Bensoul says he spent, on a minimum, Sh1.5 million to produce it until its fruition.
“Music is super expensive. Production alone of the 15 tracks in my latest album cost me nothing less than Sh1.5 million. The recording of the tracks, mastering of the songs, and the album to paying different producers I worked with. There were also artists who I collaborated with including the backup singers, paying for equipment, hosting a listening party, and things like that. It takes a lot of money”. Bensoul exclaims.
Bensoul on stage during the Maisha Magic Festival held at the KICC grounds on May 4, 2019.
He owes his vast music experience and business music knowledge to Sauti Sol and Sauti Academy for building him the foundation.
“At Sauti Academy I was taught music and the business side of it. Working with Sauti Sol and joining Sol Generation record label is where I put into practice the teachings of the academy.” Bensoul sighs.
He then adds: “I’m still learning from them especially this period where I have begun my journey as an independent artist. Just a few months ago, I funded my trip to join Bien’s international tour to go and learn, network, and see how it’s done on those levels. If I am honest with you, Sauti Sol made my path easier. They cleared all the obstacles now all we do is sail. They were the first to do a batch of things and try to bring the best practice in our music industry”.
Before bursting into the limelight in 2019 as one of Sol Generation's signees, Bensoul had worked as Sauti Sol’s backup bass player in their live bands.
He met Sauti Sol at Sauti Academy where the superstars would occasionally be invited to give music pep talks to the students.
What impressed Sauti Sol the most was Bensoul's capability to play several instruments. Another aspect was his songwriting virtuosity, a skill he harnessed before meeting the band.
“They began inviting me to their studio sessions, sometimes I would crush into their session, lazima ujitume and whenever I had something to say, they would let me. That’s how we connected and when they began the talks about opening a record label and wanted me to be part of it, I was already sold to the idea. So I became their first signee,” he accounts.
How I make millions from music
The 28-year-old has mastered the art of generating good revenue from his music and says it with ease.
Besides shows, streaming revenue, and music royalties, Bensoul has other income streams from his craft.
Having harnessed his music-writing skills early enough, songwriting has been another solid source of revenue.
“There are songs I would sell as one-offs and not for less than Sh200,000 at this point in time, and there are those that I do split sheets where I get to collect royalties when I am convinced that particular song is going to turn out into a hit.” He says.
When he was starting, Bensoul charged Sh50,000 for one-offs.
Size 8, Ken Wa Maria, Kidum, Seyi Shay, Sauti Sol, H_art The Band, and Mercy Masika are just but a few of the long list of artists who have benefited from his writing prowess.
Ben Soul of H_Art the Band with Jamaican artiste Chronixx during a concert at the KICC grounds, Nairobi, on July 22, 2018.
So good is Bensoul that Grammy Award winner, Afrobeat star Burna Boy too hired his services for the song Time Flies. The track forms part of Burna Boy’s album Twice As Tall which won a Grammy in 2021.
“In some countries, there are those artists who live large as ghostwriters they don’t need to perform because the money they earn from songwriting gigs is crazily high. For instance, the most paid artistes in South Africa are songwriters and music producers,” Bensoul alludes.
He also does advert jingles and has for companies like Betika, Safaricom, Tusker, and Bidco.
“Jingles pay better in Kenya than writing for artists because the pay is always in millions of shillings. Most advert jingles are 30-45 seconds, the market price is based on the length which ranges between Sh1-1.5 million depending on what the client needs. So if a jingle is three minutes because some clients prefer lengthy ones which they then can cut into several pieces, you do the math,’’ he chuckles.
In developed markets, Bensoul says these rates are ‘peanuts’ but good for a start in the Kenyan market.
“Jingles are a marketing strategy and because they are using your voice and image, proper remuneration is key”. He goes on.
There are other income streams.
“Another way I have made money is through brand endorsements which depends on the nature of the deal. If the deal is a 360 endorsement then the client will have to ‘cough’ even more chums (money). A good example is the Chrome endorsement, deal. For the last three years, Nviiri (The StoryTeller) and I have been the face of Chrome and we have just renewed the deal,”
Nation understands the previous deal was over Sh2 million although Bensoul couldn’t deny or confirm.
Then the obvious avenue is performance fees. As recent as 2022, Bensoul charged a flat rate of US dollars 2,800 (Sh360,000) when booked solo, and US dollars 4,500 (Sh580,000) when as part of Sol Generation.
“My rate card has since gone up. I don’t accept a show outside the country that pays less than US dollars 10,000 (Sh1.3 million). Locally, the minimum I charge for a show is US dollar 8,000 (Sh1 million) and this is because, among many other factors including taxes, I do live performances with a live band,” he says.
Civil Engineering dropout
Bensoul quit his undergraduate in the third year. He says he was an A-student and would have loved to finish his studies but music wouldn’t let him. At the age of 12, he learned to play electric and bass guitar, drums, and keyboard inspired by his estranged father who played bass guitar in church while his late mother sang in the choir.
“My father exposed me to a lot of music from gospel to rhumba which I consider my two main musical influences. When he converted to Islam he tried to discourage me from pursuing music and even banned me from using his instruments,” Bensoul accounts.
Bensoul performs during the Umoja Splash Festival held on July 6, 2019 at Uhuru Gardens and headlined by Jamaican reggae artiste Jah Cure. PHOTO | FRANCIS NDERITU | NATION MEDIA GROUP
That acted as a catalyst fueling his zeal to pursue music by any means and chance available.
“In 2014 while in my third year, I met Mordecai Mwini, Wachira Gatama, and Kenneth Mukwana at a poetry event. They had already formed a band H_art The Band. They were rocking one of the oddest outfits I have ever seen and I fell in love with their art,” he said.
H_art The Band who were students at the Sauti Academy would invite him to join them. In no time Bensoul was playing as H_art The Band’s bass player backup during their live performance.
“That’s how I quit civil engineering. I felt happier doing music than studying. Besides, there were no civil engineering textbooks at the university and that meant you only relied on the lecture notes. That too contributed to me quitting."
When the decision was made, Bensoul called his mother to inform her he had decided to quit music and pursue a career as a professional musician instead.
“My mother wasn’t mad at all. I guess she had seen it coming since I was young. She had that conviction. Besides she was also very open-minded, I mean when she saw me grow dreadlocks she too was motivated to grow hers. By the time of her death last year, her locks were six years old, mine are nine,” Bensoul offers.
Bensoul would then move in to live with the H_art The Band in Kayole as they hosted live performances in, bars, hotels, and mini gigs here and there.
“When I started, the first gig that paid me the most money was Sh4,000 and we went partying (laughs). We had rented two single houses where we lived five of us. The only expensive asset we had in the house, was a 32-inch TV screen. We were a family,”
But things would drastically change when H_art The band dropped their first hit song ‘Uliza Kiatu’ in 2014, a banger propelling them into the limelight.
“Gigs increased and our rate card adjusted upwards now I was earning between Sh15,000 to Sh20,000. We then moved from Kayole to Umoja and with more releases of hits such as ‘Mashisha’, things only kept getting better. Not long we relocated to Rongai and rented a five-bedroom, each one of us with his room,”
Leaving Sol Generation Records
During this period Bensoul multitasked as a bass player for H_art The Band and Sauti Sol whenever required. He also took time to write songs to several artists including afro-beat star Burna Boy.
When Sauti Sol was ready to launch their label in 2019, Bensoul left his ‘brothers’ H_art The Band to embark on his journey as a solo artist under management. The release of the first single from the label, ‘Extravaganza’ initiated Bensoul into the world of his fame.
After five years with Sol Generation, Bensoul now finds himself in uncharted waters as an independent artiste.
“When under a label, you tend to be a little comfortable, especially with your finances because in most scenarios it’s the label that provides the capital when it comes to music, video production, marketing, and branding of an artiste. When you become independent the buck now stops with you and if you aren’t careful your music career will be in shambles because it's an expensive career.”
