Tehn Diamond dreams big

Brenda Phiri Entertainment Reporter
Award-winning rapper Tehn Diamond, real name Tendai Nguni, has embarked on a major career revamp that has seen him develop a business model for his music. The “Happy” singer, who is currently putting the finishing touches to his debut album “The Perfect Tehn” after years of dropping mix tapes, said his goal is to make US$100 000 in revenue next year through his music business.

He said the big plan was not limited to his music alone but the “creative contributions” of rising artistes he is mentoring. It was his way of contributing to a healthy and sustainable music industry

“This has been a year of reflection and growth for me. I have also been studying the music business online, developing a business model that I believe will work well in our environment. US$100 000 is a huge target but that is the level of belief I have in the viability of a well-run creative business,” he said.

Also known as the Happy Smurf, the artiste has since assembled a live band that is part his local tours and upcoming and regional shows.

He started introducing some of his new tracks at his weekly shows since the beginning of this month.

“The album is all about love, life and liberty. It is centred on how I believe in myself, learning to believe in love and then ultimately growing to believe in each other as a community and a society,” he said.

Tehn Diamond has enjoyed a sharp rise in his music career in the last few months.

Together with Take Fizzo and fellow rapper Junior Brown, they not only rocked radio as the “Few Kings” but their album “The Feeling Aint Fair” saw them staging brilliant performances at various joints.

While there has been talk of a possible split with Junior Brown considering they are hardly together these days, the artiste had this to say: “This year, me and Junior Brown stepped back to work on our solo pro- jects.

“We never imagined the huge success that Few Kings and our album would have but the plan has always been to push the group first then get our solo projects out. That is the stage we are at right now, working on our albums,” he said.