SAUTI SOL’S CHIMANO OPENS UP ABOUT HOMOPHOBIC CONCERT ATTACK

Sauti Sol member Willis Chimano, has shared a harrowing account of being physically assaulted at a concert in what he believes was a homophobic attack.

The incident occurred several years ago during a performance. “Someone punched me in the face, it was horrible,” Chimano recounted. “In my mind, I’m just like, ‘Wait, did I… I feel like I’m missing a few seconds.’” He recalls hearing insults hurled at him as he walked backstage, leading him to believe the assault was motivated by homophobia.

In the face of this violence, his Sauti Sol bandmates BienAimé, Savara, and Polycarp took immediate action. “My bandmates, in true fashion, they went to war,” he said. “They did more than rally around. They decided, ‘We’re not performing.’ So we left. We left. And I love them more for it.”

Chimano revealed that early in the band’s rise to fame, his fellow members sat him down for a conversation. “They were just like, ‘So Chim, we know you’re gay, we love you, we support you, that’s good.’”

Recognising the challenging environment for LGBTQ+ individuals in the public eye, they advised him to “just be careful,” noting that openness then “would have definitely been career suicide.” For years, this meant navigating fame with a degree of discretion.