Tanzania’s Diamond Platnumz has been on the rise for a little while now, but it appears he is ready to really rise to a global level, and perhaps outshine his West African counterparts for the race to win a Grammy, and make contemporary African music truly global.
How is this possible? It appears one man, Colin Gayle, may be the conduit towards helping him on his ascension. Gayle, the Co-founder of Africa Creative Agency (ACA), juggles primarily between South Africa (where his agency is based) and the USA.
Last week, ACA announced the signing of Platnumz to its creative agency, debuted a new song by Platnumz featuring Neyo and informed us that in partnership with SK Entertainment it had recently secured a record and publishing deal for Platnumz with Universal Music Group (UMG), South Africa(SA).
“This deal will give Diamond Platnumz an opportunity to broaden his audience and better monetize his talents,” said Gayle in a press statement.
Gayle is not new to the entertainment industry. In fact, he was instrumental in helping with the execution of a Coke Studio Africa collaboration with Neyo, the launch of the Essence Music Festival in South Africa, among other accomplishments with bridging the gap between Africa and the USA. Now that his firm takes on Platnumz as a client, it will be interesting to see what he actually does with this very talented star on a global stage.
On the UMG SA deal, I particularly like that it’s not a Sony or Roc Nation deal. I believe we need real competition and a signing with Universal provides that much needed healthy competition for Africa’s talents. Everyone packing themselves on one label or brand does nothing to create healthy competition to really advance Africa’s music industry.
In the meantime, watch Diamond’s recent feature on CNN African Voices and his video with Neyo.
-Ms. Uduak
Clearly, these record companies don’t know what they’re doing. Sure, Diamond Platinumz is big in some parts of the world, but let’s be honest–who’s going to actually PAY to download music from this whispering quasi singer? They seem to be looking for whomever has the biggest buzz in Africa, as opposed to who has the most talent. That’s why small-boy Ayo and David got their deals, too. Unfortunately, when they get these guys in professional sessions, they’ll learn just how raw they are, talent-wise. That’s likely what’s holding up David’s project right now. And we all have heard that abomination called ‘Daddy Yo’–*sheesh*