Nairobi — Bien-Aimé Baraza, the former frontman of Sauti Sol, has boldly claimed a new generational identity. Speaking on the Kenyan youth podcast That Zed, the 38-year-old singer announced he now identifies as Gen Z, despite being born in 1987.
“Being Gen Z isn’t about the year you were born,” Bien told host Grace Kiraithe Msalame. “It’s how you feel inside, the energy you carry, the way you evolve.” He distinguished his career phases: the Sauti Sol era as millennial and his current solo project as a Gen Z chapter.
The declaration went viral, flooding Kenyan X (formerly Twitter) with memes portraying Bien “downloading the Gen Z update” and “factory-resetting his age.” Some younger fans were skeptical, but many embraced the sentiment. “If a 38-year-old can speak fluent Gen Z without sounding like a corporate intern, maybe the labels are useless,” one commenter wrote.
Bien’s statement highlights his larger point: reinvention is not dictated by birth year. In a country where the median age is 20 and the creative economy is youth-driven, Bien is staking his claim to stay relevant, embracing trends like amapiano, alté, and short-form viral music.
Whether his self-classification endures or remains a fleeting meme, Bien’s move underscores the fluidity of generational identity in Kenya’s fast-evolving cultural landscape.
