Vanessa Mdee and Jojo Abot Added to Sauti Sol’s NYC Show
Okayafrica presents Sauti Sol live at Highline Ballroom in New York City with Vanessa Mdee and Jojo Abot.
East Africa’sAfrica’s biggest band officially kicks off their 2016 U.S. tour this Sunday in New York City. Okayafrica is presenting Sauti Sol, the celebrated Kenyan afro-pop outfit, for one night only at NYC’s Highline Ballroom.
What’s more, Vanessa Mdee and Jojo Abot have just been added to the show.
After starting off as the first-ever Tanzanian MTV VJ, Mdee has risen to become one of the most popular recording artists on the continent. She's behind such hits as "Niroge," "Hawajui," "Never Ever," and the K.O-featuring "Nobody But Me."
Dividing her time between Accra, Copenhagen and New York City, the Ghanaian-born Abot should be a familiar face to Okayafrica readers. Most recently, the singer has been touring with Ms. Lauryn Hill on the Diaspora Calling tour.
Sauti Sol are coming off the release of their long-awaited third album, Live and Die In Afrika, which features huge singles like “Sura Yako,” “Nishike” and “Kuliko Jana,” and was one of our favorite releases of 2015.
The album climbed the Kenyan charts and received global attention—even President Obama was filmed dancing to “Sura Yako.” Last Saturday, they took home Best Group at the 2016 MTV Africa Music Awards in Johannesburg.
Now, the four-piece group—comprised of Bien-Aime Baraza, Willis Austin Chimano, Polycarp Otieno and Savara Mudigi—are bringing their pop blend of soulful vocal harmonies and Kenyan rhythms to NYC as part of a U.S. tour which also includes stops in Seattle (November 3), Minneapolis (November 4), D.C. (November 5), Raleigh (November 11) and Dallas (November 12).
Join us for a Facebook live chat with Sauti Sol, Friday, October 28th at 5pm EST.