Bensoul: All You Need To Know About Sol Generation’s Breakout Prodigy

Bensoul: All You Need To Know About Sol Generation’s Breakout Prodigy

Bensoul is arguably one of the most successful musicians in Kenya. He is a multi-talented artiste who has made hits and timeless music alike, and has worked with other artistes from Kenya and beyond.

In this article, we tell you all you need to know about Sol Generation’s breakout prodigy Bensoul. We also give you more info about his early and current life and his views on some controversial topics. 

Ready? Well, let’s get to business.

Who Is Bensoul?

Benson Mutua Muia, aka Bensoul, is a multi-talented Kenyan musician. He is a singer, songwriter, instrumentalist, and music producer. The award-winning artiste is known for his hit songs whose lyrics resonate with Kenyans’ experiences.

Source: IG bensoulmusic

Bensoul is signed to Sol Generation, owned by Sauti Sol. Through the label, the multi-talented artiste has worked with musicians from Kenya and across Africa. Bensoul accredits his music career success to God.

What Are Bensoul’s Greatest Skills?

Perhaps Bensoul’s stand-out talent is his vocals. His hit songs are due to his soulful voice, which, together with his equally soulful lyrics, have an alluring appeal.

Bensoul can play the bass and acoustic guitars, violin, double bass, cello, ukulele, and drums. He also hopes to learn to play the saxophone in the future.

The “Lucy” hitmaker can also write music and has written for artists such as Kidum, Sauti Sol. Ali Kiba, Nyashinski. He has also written music for Mercy Masika, Ben Pol, H_art the Band, and Burna Boy.

What Are Some Of Bensoul’s Leading Songs

Some of Bensoul’s hit jams include: 

  • Lucy
  • Favorite Song
  • Niombee
  • Unanichanganya

He is also known for Thick Thighs and Aibu, which both feature Bien, and Nairobi featuring Sauti Sol, Nviiri the Storyteller, and Mejja. Bensoul has also been featured in Masheesha by H_art the Band, Rhumba Japani and Extravaganza by Sauti Sol, and Nakufa by Okello Max.

The soulful artiste is also known for his songs Medicine, Ntala Nawe, Sugar Rush, and Stereo, all part of his Medicine EP

Bensoul’s 2020 Qwarantunes EP entertained fans during the Covid-19 lockdown with tracks like Forget You, No Kisses, Salama, and Peddi.

Has Bensoul Won Any Awards

At the 2021 Grammy Awards, Bensoul received the best songwriter award for Burna Boy’s song “Time Flies.” The song features in Burna Boy’s “Twice As Tall” album, which won the Best Global Music Album at the awards. 

 

Bensoul won the Grammy alongside Sauti Sol, who won the best producer for the album and praised him for his work.

 

The Grammy Award-winning artiste has also received nominations in 2017 and 2018 for the Soulful Artist of the Year at the Cafe Ngoma Awards. He was also nominated for the Collabo of the Year Award for Masheesha with H_art the Band at the Pulse Music Video Awards (PMVA) in 2018.

How Did Bensoul Join Sol Generation

After moving to Nairobi for his higher education, Bensoul met H_art the Band at a Pawa254 function at the Kenya National Theatre. After interacting, he joined the band as their bass guitarist and instrumentalist.

“We saw that this guy had a lot of potential, and we had struggled so much trying to look for a bass player and an instrumentalist,”

Mordecai from H_art the Band.

Later, the four moved in together and wrote “Uliza Kiatu,” which was an instant hit.

Bensoul later joined Sauti Academy, an experience which he acknowledged taught him much about the music business, including networking and performance. Through the Sauti Academy, he was signed to Sol Generation in February 2019. 

Bensoul Bio

Bensoul was born on March 4, 1996, and as of 2022, he is 26 years old. He was raised in Embu, Kenya, with his father being a guitarist and his mother singing in the choir. His interest in music drove him to learn the guitar in Grade Six, a skill he is exceptional at.

“I picked up instruments and learnt how to play out of interest by myself.”

Growing up, the soulful artiste was close to his mum as his father was absent. He talks about this in his song “Ningependa Nikuchukie’. In an interview with Standard Digital, Bensoul said that though his old man was absent, he harbors no grudges for him. 

“I wrote Nikuchukie for my father who was absent in our lives. It is about how my mum raised us in poverty, whereas my dad had the capability to help but did not….

I would have wanted to hate him for what he did, but I am not like him, neither would I like to end up like him.”

His passion for music continued through high school, where he started writing music. A teacher praised him for his soulful voice at one time, inspiring him to add “soul” to his name. 

Bensoul joined the Technical University of Kenya for a Civil Engineering course and dropped out during his 3rd year to pursue his passion for music.

Does Bensoul Smoke Weed?

In an interview with Jalang’o, Bensoul admitted to smoking marijuana, adding that he has never been dysfunctional due to its use.

“Mimi inanisaidia nafocus, nikiamua ni hii kitu na focus nayo, distraction zote nimepiga kando.”

Yenyewe peddy sio wa mapenzi pekee. 

He also advocated for its legalization, arguing that the cannabis industry can earn the country a lot of income.

“Angalia mahali kama Canada walilipa deni yao the second day. It’s a big industry, and that’s why some states in the USA are already legalizing it.”

Did Bensoul Cheat on His Girlfriend?

On Thursday, March 3, 2022, Bensoul admitted to having impregnated his side chick. This admission came after blogger Edgar Obare reached out to him to confirm the allegations. He admitted to cheating on his girlfriend, Noni Gathoni, while on vacation in Mombasa.

“Hey Edgar, yes this is true, a mistake I did on my part and my people know that I have been doing all I can to be there for the unborn child.”

Source: IG noni_gathoni

The “Nairobi” hitmaker told Edgar that he was about to reveal the news to the public, but “The Tea Master” beat him to it. He added that Noni was heartbroken when she first heard of the affair but was understanding.

“She’s my life partner and she put us first even amidst all this chaos.”

What Is Bensoul’s Net Worth

There is no official record of Bensoul’s net worth at the time of writing this. His revenue sources are estimated to come from performances, brand deals, and royalties from songwriting and music sales.

However, having been in the industry for close to a decade, it is safe to say that Sol Generation’s breakout prodigy is earning quite well from his works.

Nick Tembo
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