Image: “To say I love you is not enough,” Chiki Kuruka’s open letter to renowned photographer who hooked her up with Bien

Being a wife is one thing. Being a manager is another. For Chiki Kuruka, those two worlds overlap in her marriage to Sauti Sol’s Bien-Aimé Baraza—a journey she describes as both beautiful and demanding.

In a candid conversation, Chiki opened up about the realities of wearing two hats, the challenges behind the glamour, and the lessons she’s learned while navigating love and business side by side.

Managing Bien’s international tours often means long days and high pressure. But doing it as his wife introduces an entirely new layer. “Girl, a fake smile goes a long way,” she laughed.

“I think what I’m good at is separating personal life from stage life. It’s not just us—it’s the band, the dancers, and we’re representing Africa on a global stage. So when we’re in public, we keep what’s private, private.

If we’ve just wrapped a successful tour, it’s not about arguing over shoes left lying around. It’s about being present in the moment.”

While traveling together has strengthened their bond, Chiki admitted that the workload can be overwhelming.

“I can’t wait for the day, maybe in a year, when someone else will manage him. Touring is amazing, but it’s exhausting when I’m the manager, the planner, the PR person all rolled into one.

After a show abroad, when everyone else is resting, I’m already organizing the homecoming concert in Kenya. Sometimes I don’t even get the space to breathe or to tell him, ‘Well done.’”

The constant juggling, she confessed, has at times made it difficult to remain emotionally present as a partner.

Still, Chiki is intentional about maintaining her own identity.

“I haven’t abandoned my dance career. I have a strong team running my company back home. If you create a business that can’t function without you, you’ve created a job. So even if Bien woke up tomorrow and wanted another manager, I still have my brand.”

For her, love and work may be intertwined, but balance comes from knowing when to step back, when to smile through the pressure, and when to let her individuality shine.