Review: HEAVY IS THE CROWN, power to the songs that set you free. at The Loading Dock Theatre

Wednesday March 25th, 7pm 2026, The Loading Dock Theatre, QTOPIA

Willis Chimano brings his celebrated solo work, HEAVY IS THE CROWN, to QTOPIA — and it's a welcome addition to the venue's program of queer voices from across the globe.

Chimano is a founding member of Sauti Sol, the boy band formed in Nairobi in 2005. The group rose to prominence with their debut album Mwanzo (2008) and went on to achieve major commercial success across Africa with albums including Sol Filosofia (2011), Live and Die in Afrika (2015), and Afrikan Sauce (2019). Known for blending Afro-pop, R&B, and soul, Sauti Sol became one of Africa's most internationally recognised bands, touring widely and building a devoted fan base. Within the group, Chimano was recognised for his bass/baritone vocals and performance presence, contributing to both recordings and live shows.

During this period, Chimano kept his sexuality private, citing concerns about public reaction in Kenya, where same-sex relationships are criminalised and widely stigmatised. In 2018, a private photo of him with his partner was leaked online, resulting in him being publicly outed without consent and triggering significant backlash. Despite this, Sauti Sol's success continued and Chimano remained an active member of the band until the period leading up to his solo work. As a solo artist he faced new challenges — censorship, scrutiny, and even police interference with a planned LGBTQ+-inclusive event. His 2022 EP HEAVY IS THE CROWN emerged from all of this, addressing trauma, identity, and self-acceptance with striking honesty.

This one-man show illuminates that journey through his compositions and spoken word. His songs are beautiful and heartfelt. Highlights include Hallelujah, Friday Feeling, and Mad Love — though every song in the set earns its place.

Australian audiences, particularly queer ones, might find this story familiar in its broad strokes. Coming out, community, identity, the long road to self-acceptance — we know this territory. But familiarity is no reason to dismiss what Chimano carries to the stage. The specific weight of living this story in Kenya, where the stakes are not social discomfort but criminalisation and worse, gives his experience a gravity that deserves our full attention.

When I attended, Chimano's passion was present throughout, but it was in the final two numbers that it truly ignited — his voice and emotional commitment shining most brightly there. The evening left me wondering how extraordinary the whole night might feel if that same blazing intensity were woven through from the first song. At times the show reads more as a broader commentary on the queer struggle in African countries than as Chimano's deeply personal account, and it's when the personal breaks through — as it does so powerfully at the close — that HEAVY IS THE CROWN becomes something genuinely special.

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