Bongo Flava star Diamond Platnumz launched his much awaited second album A Boy From Tandale on Wednesday at the Kenya National Theatre, Nairobi.
Nation.co.ke had a chat with the heartthrob who’s been hitting the headlines recently more for his controversial love life than his music.
When is the last time you released an album? Lala Salama .
That’s such a long time considering the fact that you release songs every other day?
Why did you decide to do it in Kenya away from home Tanzania?
Bongo Flava star Diamond Platnumz and his American counterpart Omarion. PHOTO| THOMAS MATIKO
I could have launched it anywhere: Uganda, Nigeria or wherever as long as I’m representing Africa because we have always wanted to have that vision of One Africa.
And that vision is about pushing the African vibe to the rest of the World and not only the Tanzanian one where I come from. Apart from that, Kenyans have been supporting my music ever since I started out and I wanted to thank them for that by launching my album here.
Sometime back, you said the launch would be graced with several international stars but we only saw American rapper Omarion?
There are other several artistes that I approached to grace my launch as well but they were not willing to . In fact, one of the songs we’ve collaborated on features in the album.
Just few weeks ago, two of your songs “Waka” and “Hallellujah” were banned from airplay by the Tanzanian Government through its music regulatory agency BASATA that termed the songs as ‘dirty and raunchy’. Could you comment on that?
To date, I’m yet to receive official communication from BASATA as to why the songs were banned because that is the standard procedure before such an action is taken. I pay taxes to the government and if they are to ban my source of income then they have to at least explain to me why.
Bongo Flava star Diamond Platnumz and his American counterpart Omarion. PHOTO| THOMAS MATIKO
What is the difference between Lala Salama and A Boy From Tandale ?
A Boy From Tandale has 20 songs and if I am to be honest it was supposed to have had even more. This is because there are songs that I did early before Universal Music Group came on board that I felt they were special too.
I requested Universal to let me include those songs as well but they advised we stick to only 20 songs.
Before you launched your label Wasafi Classic Baby, you said you can never sign to any label but today we see you on board Universal Music Group?
About Wasafi TV and Wasafi Radio fans have been waiting far too long than anticipated for its launch?
Besides that, we have been going round the country to try and get presenters as well as other work force. With all such activities going on I am not so sure when we will be going on air but my guess is it could be on 25th of this month or the next one.
How has being a father impacted your career?
