Bien opens up on Luhya culture behind hit song ‘All My Enemies Are Suffering’
By William Muthama, May 21, 2026Singer Bien-Aimé Baraza has opened up about the inspiration behind his viral 2025 hit All My Enemies Are Suffering, revealing that the song was deeply influenced by Luhya culture and beliefs.
Speaking during an interview posted on Thursday, May 21, 2026, the former Sauti Sol frontman explained that the song reflects common themes within the community surrounding enemies, resilience, and overcoming people who may not wish others well.
Bien explained that within Luhya culture, conversations about enemies, rivalry, and people who may not wish others well are common in everyday life.
According to the singer, the community often places strong emphasis on overcoming opposition and proving doubters wrong, something he used as the foundation for the song’s message and identity.
“The element of Luhyas just consistently having imaginary enemies,” Bien said during the conversation, as he described how deeply rooted the theme is within the culture.
The artiste also linked the idea to deeper traditional beliefs that have existed within African communities for generations, where people often viewed life as a constant struggle against opposition, whether physical, spiritual, or social.
He highlights the Luhya community’s playful obsession with “imaginary enemies”, a cultural trait where people dwell on rivals, beef, and the idea that others wish them ill.
He ties it to old traditions such as symbolic beliefs around the afterlife, including practices like burying murder victims with a spear for revenge in the spiritual world, alongside general superstition and everyday interpretations of small events as signs of opposition or protection.
“In the olden times, if somebody murdered you, you were buried with a spear, so that in the afterlife, you could deal with your enemies there. So like, we’re very big on enemies suffering. Yeah, and that kind of talk. That’s where the song All My Enemies Are Suffering comes from”, he said