DIAMOND:  Akothee did not pay me a single shilling

Diamond Platnumz, the skinny kid that East Africa fell in love with through his debut hit songs Kamwambie and Mbagala is all grown up. He is a renowned musician in the continent, a record label owner, a sex symbol, a businessman, an international star and now parent to two beautiful children.

The star, who has a string of hits under his belt like "Ntampata Wapi", "Salome", "Kidogo", "Nana", "Make me Sing", "Utanipenda", "Number One" and so many more is scheduled to perform on Sunday at the Carnivore Grounds for the 17th edition of the Koroga Festival.

But first things first, has parenthood changed him and or his music?

“It has changed how I view music because I still have to show some love and respect, but at the same time I have to be creative so that I can reach all my fans with the type of music I’m doing especially my female fan base. I’m working on it so that in future I don’t disappoint my kids,” Diamond said in a press briefing while in the country.

ZARI’S EX-HUSBAND

As a parent, Diamond also addressed Zari’s ex-husband Ivan Ssemwanga’s death.

“I feel bad, he’s left behind three children who still needed his care and guidance. Their dad meant a lot to them but God knows why it happened,” he says. “I talked to his mother and told her I would help in any way that I can, at the end of the day we are all family. I don’t need to be asked, they need our support now more than ever.”

The mega African star has gradually gained international recognition, not only from the numerous accolades that have been bestowed upon him but from international stars as well like South African rapper AKA, Nigerian duo P Square and even American R-n-B sensation NeYo.

Diamond met NeYo about two years ago at the MAMAs. Neyo was being interviewed and was asked about African artistes and he mentioned Diamond. Of course it was a huge deal for Diamond to be mentioned by such a superstar.

“We were backstage and my manager told me NeYo was looking for me. Our managements met and we connected. I flew back home to Tanzania and a while later NeYo came to Kenya for Coke Studio. On his way he called my management and when he arrived in Kenya we recorded Marry You,” he recalls.

UNIMAGINABLE HEIGHTS

Even though Diamond has reached heights unimaginable to some of his peers in the industry, he still respects the work of those who came before him like Tanzanian legend Saida Karoli whose song Maria Salome he sampled recently.

The Salome hit maker approached her management and after agreeing on payments, spoke to her on phone, got her blessing and went ahead to record the song.

“I respect her work a lot and I know it hurts so much if someone uses your work without asking,” he responded to questions on claims of copyright infringement. “If you don’t consult with the person it’s like you’re looking down upon them,” he says.

Diamond is also the proud owner of the popular record label Wasafi Records WCB. Some of the popular Tanzanian artistes who are signed to the label are Harmonize, Rayvanny and Rich Mavoko. He revealed the label has been receiving a lot of applications from different artistes including Kenyans. However, they are not just looking for talent, an artiste’s character matters a lot to them. An issue like how an artiste treats his/her fans comes to the forefront should they consider signing anyone new.

Diamond’s progression to the top has been quite the journey, but it has also involved a strategy to conquer East Africa, the entire continent and the international stage.

When he began his career he focused on the East African market where he slowly gained fame and received tremendous love and support from fans. And soon he began itching to conquer the entire continent and catching its attention. He recorded Number One (remix) with Davido and began using a little bit of English and West African flavour in his music to penetrate the West African market.

But then to be recognised globally, he had to collaborate more with internationally known artistes and let the “East Africa style of music” take a back seat for a bit. So Diamond once in a while would create music for his East African market like Salome then do projects like Kidogo with P Square and Make me Sing with AKA.

INTERNATIONAL MARKET

“East Africa had already accepted my work and fully supported it. But it is hard for people to book you for shows if your songs are only focused on two markets. I had to really try and absorb myself into the African and international markets as well because when I go to places like Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe they don’t know Mbagala, they know Nana and Number One and so on,” he said.

He is currently wrapping up things on his album which will target the East African market, but he is also working on another album for the international audience.

Diamond has also worked with Kenyan artiste Akothee and confirmed that she did not pay him a single cent for their collaboration titled Sweet Love.

“I saw the spirit in her because were it not for the support I got coming up I wouldn’t be where I am today. I will work with anyone who is talented, has the hunger and heart for it,” he said.

A brand in his own right, Diamond has over the years landed lucrative endorsement deals with several companies like DStv, Vodacom and Coca Cola. His children have also followed suit and as toddlers sealed deals worth millions of shillings.

“It’s all about presentation. I’m a brand and by extension so are my two children. My first born has more than one million followers on Instagram and that’s because of support from fans and God’s blessings,” he said.

Unlike many artistes who launch clothing lines as an extension of their brands, Diamond went into the perfume business and came up with his own scent called Chibu Perfume. The musician cum businessman will soon launch it in Nairobi.