Sauti Sol’s Bien Aime has revealed why he never stays in a hotel room before a show with his wife and manager Chiki Kuruka.
The musician, while on Willy M. Tuva’s Citizen Radio program “Mambo Mseto”, said that a promoter would need to reserve a separate room for his wife if they were booking him for a performance.
Bien said the only reason why he did not sleep in the same room as his wife was to keep it strictly professional and focus on the show in his own space.
“Si she is my manager? She gets her room as my manager and I get a separate one booked for me like a G and I do my own things in my own room,” he said.
“When I am performing and I have a show, I normally stay in my hotel room alone. I don’t even have music inside there. I usually prefer being by myself as I meditate on the upcoming show.”
The renowned vocalist also addressed the advantages of having his wife work as his manager, adding Chiki always does a fantastic job.
Bien addressed the touchy topic of the couple’s current state of affairs and said he was grateful that despite the typical difficulties any couple faces, their marriage was going quite well.
“Yes, things go well. But of course, there are challenges. Mafeelings ziko all over the place. Ni hard in the beginning, but I think we have transparency. Also, we have a life coach and a counselling session to iron out our issues. We talk it out in a counselling session na inakuwa tu poa,” he stated.
The singer mentioned that many well-known performers are managed by their spouses, using WizKid and Burna Boy as examples. WizKid is likewise managed by his wife, while Burna Boy is managed by his mother and sister.
“At the end of the day, management is something that involves trust. And my wife cannot steal from me. Beyond trust, there is a certain element of management that women are better than men at doing,” he said.
In response to the question of whether their marital problems ever affected his music, Bien said it did though he knew the remedy for it.
“It does, but there are ways to deal with it. Transparency is one of those ways. Talking about everything makes it very easy. There are also boundaries.”
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Two years ago, Bien and Chiki exchanged vows in a vibrant wedding ceremony in Lavington, Nairobi. But after eight months, the Mbwe Mbwe hitmaker said he was ready to quit. Things finally began to improve after consulting a marriage counsellor.
“Being in the house all day with my chick every day, amazing as she is, was driving me nuts. The small things became the big things and eight months in, I was like I want a divorce, this is too much,” Bien said.
Bien admitted at the beginning of the year that his wife’s incredible capacity for management drove him to appoint her as his manager. He claimed that this increased his love for her.
