Chimano | |
|---|---|
 Chimano in 2022 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Willis Austin Chimano |
| Member of | Sauti Sol |
Willis Austin Chimano, known professionally as Chimano, is a Kenyan singer and songwriter who gained recognition as a member of Sauti Sol. [1] His debut extended play, Heavy is the Crown, was released in 2022.
Chimano's debut extended play, Heavy is the Crown, was released in 2022. The seven-track project explores topics of self-identity, self-love and self-acceptance. [2]
In 2024, Chimano released the singles "Fashion" and "Do You Remember"; the latter track delves into self-discovery and trusting one's journey. [3] In November of the same year, he released the single "Monster", which has been described as a "feel-good Afro-house/dance song". [4] The track explores themes of self-worth, empowerment and resilience. [4]
In 2022, Chimano announced plans to host his first solo concert, the Love and Harmony Festival. The event was scheduled to take place at the Junction Mall, and devoted to "celebrating love, harmony, inclusion and diversity". [5] However, the police canceled the event for security reasons, sparking an uproar on social media. [6] His team found another venue in Nairobi, a shopping centre but midway through rehearsals, police trucks appeared and was told the show was off. [7] In an effort to intimidate him, police officers were seen carrying AK-47s, "The message was that we could go ahead and set up and go on with the show, but that we should prepare for the consequences," Chimano said. He wrote on X: "Bullies never win! You may have gotten your way this time. You've only made my resolve stronger ... The show that I've been working so hard on will be seen. That is a fact!" [7]
His next performance was at a corporate event months later where he was asked how the set would look, down to what the dancers would be wearing. "I took it as, 'Hopefully, it's not too gay?' ... They were asking questions just to make sure there was nothing camp about it," he said, but after a lot of back and forth, the show went well. [7]
After Sauti Sol officially announcing their hiatus in 2023, Chimano went on to perform his one-man show in Australia, France and the UK where he performed in London and Cardiff as part of the ongoing UK-Kenya Season of Culture, organised by Africa Centre, London and the British Council. He hopes to perform a version of this show in Kenya in the future [7] "I will bring it home...I just need to figure out how." [8] In the show's debut in Adelaide, he spoke about his coming of age in one of Africa's biggest bands and being a gay man in Africa. "I think I even cried on stage. It was such a healing moment," he explained. "It was the first time, so it was still very fresh. But I just needed to do it. I just needed to throw myself into the deep end." [8]
In 2021, Chimano came out as gay [9] [10] where he became the first Kenyan artist to openly identify as queer. [11] In 2023, after Sauti Sol announced their indefinite hiatus, Chimano chose to step away from the public eye and using that period for deep reflection marked by therapy, silence and self work. [12] In an interview with BBC, Chimano spoke on hiding his sexuality since childhood until he was publicly outed in 2018. Hence, he faced challenges that threatened to derail his entire life- professional and personal. [13]
He eventually found his way to self-acceptance after his mother confronted the reality he had been carrying quietly long before the world weighed in, urging him to stop hiding and live truthfully, which he has since embraced by no longer feeling obligated to explain himself to everyone. He also speaks on loneliness, therapy, the emotional toll of constantly performing strength, moments of deep anxiety and exhaustion. [14]