Kenyan Afro-pop powerhouse Sauti Sol is marking five years since the release of their acclaimed fifth studio album, Midnight Train. Dropped on June 5th, 2020, under Universal Music Group Africa, the album has cemented Sauti Sol’s legacy as not just Kenya’s finest musical export, but also a dominant force across the African continent.
Produced by Grammy winner Andre Harris alongside group members Polycarp Otieno and Delvin Mudigi, Midnight Train features 13 genre-spanning tracks in English, Swahili, and Luhya. The album blends vulnerability and hope, with standout songs like “Insecure,” the uplifting “Brighter Days” featuring the Soweto Gospel Choir, and “Disco Matanga” with Sho Madjozi and Black Motion—famously used as the soundtrack for Netflix’s Queen Sono.
The numbers speak volumes. With over 407 million streams on digital platforms, 549 million streams including user-generated content, and 341 million YouTube views, Midnight Train has made history in Africa’s digital music space. The hit single “Suzanna” alone boasts more than 34 million views on YouTube and 10.5 million Spotify streams. It’s Sauti Sol’s second most-streamed song after “Melanin.”
From their debut Mwanzo to Sol Filosofia, Live and Die in Afrika, and Afrikan Sauce, Sauti Sol’s evolution has been extraordinary. Today, Midnight Train stands tall as the most streamed Kenyan album of all time—a true milestone for Kenyan music on the global stage.