The Perfect Tehn

Zimbabwean music is on another level l tell yah. I am so totally in love with our music right now. From hip-hop to dancehall every genre is on steroids.

This artiste that we are profiling today is a house-hold name and you cannot talk about Zimbabwean music and not mention him. His hustle is insane and his lyrics so on point.

It is none other than Tehn Diamond, an award winning hip-hop artiste who is one of the best rappers in the country.

    

  So Tehn Diamond when did your music career start?

Professionally, I'd have to say my career started in 2008 with the release of my first mix tape, #SOTG1 - Higher Learning. Creatively, my career started in 2006, when I started writing raps consistently. Both those moments considered though, I'd have to say that from a financial perspective . . . my career only just kicked off this year, not because I wasn't making money before . . . but because I wasn't treating that money the way a good entrepreneur would. I was still just a rapper, with rapper thoughts and rapper goals. Get paid, get to partying. Repeat. 

    

  How has the journey been so far? The negative and positive sides of being a musician?

The journey's been amazing so far. I've been fortunate enough to meet tonnes and tonnes of incredible people along the way. I've made friends who've become like family, I've enjoyed the love & support of my growing fan base. I've travelled; I've made good money & even better music. More than anything I've gotten to really explore who I am, and what I believe in along the way. It's been one of the most incredible growth experiences for me. For me, that's all the positives. I've probably missed a whole lot of them.

The only negative would be that once this journey is over, I don't get to do it all again. Other than that, I just try to stay with my eyes on the prize and my heart happily on my sleeve.

   

  

 Your song Happy has over 36 000 You Tube views and it received a lot of air play on Channel O, does this mean your music is doing well outside of Zimbabwe?

Not necessarily. It just means that there's still a whole lot more work to do. There's videos out there clocking millions of views, I could never look at a few thousand and think I'm really making a dent. I mean, it's a great start, but the mission is to always be improving and building upon the foundations we've already set. I see that 36 000 and I see a challenge, one that I feel we're going to be able to surpass easily.

     

  What are you currently working on?

My goals for the year. To make inroads into the regional market with the release of my debut solo album, The Perfect Tehn. To generate revenue of $100 000 through my label & media company, I. Am. Tehn. | Media & Marketing. And to successfully host a sold out local hip-hop show at The HICC in December. That's where my heart, mind & soul are at these days. Those three goals.

Mind you, aside from that , I'm starring in a feature film. But that's more of a childhood dream being realised, finally. I won't say too much on it just yet, but expect to be surprised.

      

Ok, so a lot of ladies
 would love to know
 the answer to this one:
 are you in a relationship?

Yes I am.

    


Who is your role model?

I have several role models really, or rather, mentors. The most prominent ones for me being, Fela Kuti, Steve Jobs, Shawn Carter & my father. My father more than anybody else has equipped me with a good grounding in hard-work and just basic common sense. Traits I never fully grasped or applied until I really started listening to the old man's wisdom, he's my hero. Between the constant love & motivation from my mother, and his hard-hitting truths . . . I don't believe failure can even be an option. I was raised by these two angels, to raise hell until we reach heaven. I'm ever grateful.

     

  If you had the chance to do it all over again, would you still choose the music industry or another profession?

Music was never something I chose, music has always been who I am. So if I did it all over again, and didn't do music, that person wouldn't me. Not anymore, not without the music.

     

 To a young artist struggling to get into the industry what advice or tips would you give them?

Never give up. Always be growing. Always be learning. Ask questions. Make moves. Never give up.

Twitter:@TehnDiamond

Website

www.iamtehn.com

Pics courtesy online

God Is Love

Twitter: @EmmaNxumalo