Tehn Diamond
| Tehn Diamond | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Tendai Nguni January 17, 1985 |
| Nationality | Zimbabwe |
| Education | St. George's College |
| Occupation |
|
| Home town | Borrowdale Brooke |
| Spouse(s) | Michelina Chindiya |
| Parent(s) | Sylvester Nguni (father) |
Tehn Diamond is an award winning Zimbabwean rapper, who hogged the musical limelight in 2012 when his hit song 'Happy' which was played on regional stations. The video for the song , is still being played on Channel O.
Background
He was born to Sylvester Nguni, who is a well known politician on the 17th of January 1985 in Harare. His mother is a care giver in the United Kingdom. Tehn has a sister in the United Kingdom and another one in America. He also has a brother who resides in China.[1] He was raised in Borrowdale Brooke and attended St. George's College before moving to Brisbane, Australia to pursue a degree in finance.
Music career
Tehn grew up singing along to Jackson 5 records from as early as 6 years and he knew singing was going to be part of his life. Before he started rapping, he was merely an avid song writer from as early as primary school. When he turned 15, Tehn together with 4 friends decided to form a rap group which they named 'Rao'. At this time he did not care much about rapping. It was however only one day that his life completely changed for good. The award wining rapper vividly remembers the day- October 27, 2006 when American rapper Jay-Z came to Brisbane while Tehn was studying there. It was the first concert he had ever been to in his life. He had grown up listening to Jay-Z and after a great performance, he decided once and for all that music was what he wanted to do with his life.[2] Two months later, Tehn dropped from his Bachelor of Commerce and Finance degree programme,[3] and started concentrating on music. The same year, he started writing songs for his first mixtape SOTG1: Higher Learning which was released in 2008.[4] Tehn, once said he is not much of a rapper but someone who just genuinely loves to express himself through words. In his first mixtape the rapper sang about his life experiences and the changes he faced from dropping out of college to become a rapper. The man went on to release his second mixtape Boys Will Be Boys (SOTG2) on the 10th of October 2010. It was this mixtape that introduced Tehn, with songs such as 'Grown up kid' being favourably played on local stations.[5]
Few Kings
Tehn Diamond teamed up with fellow hip hop artist , Junior Brown and producer Take Fizzo (aka Take 5) to form the group Few Kings. They released an album titled The Feeling Ain't Fair on October 23, 2013 for free download[6]
Acting career
In April 2015 it was reported that Tehn was going to star in a Zimbabwean movie titled Judges as Clyde, an illustrator in his mid 30's. The movie is yet to be released. In an interview, Tehn mentioned that he used to act dramas at Reps Theatre during his high school days.[7]
Claim to fame
It was only in 2013, that his music made the airwaves. His song 'Happy' which featured Junior Brown was a hit and was number one on Power FM for many weeks. The song was a banger that its video also received airplay on Channel 0 and Trace Urban television channels.[8] The video has more than 36,354 views to date. Not only was the song played on regional channels, but it facilitated him to win a Zim Hip Hop Awards accolade. The fame of the song jumped across the boarders, with some international radio stations premièring it. The song was once premièred at the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Radio 1. The DJ who played it DJ Edu, described the track as, "catchy" and "sure to mash up the dance".[9]
International Shows
Tehn has performed in many countries. One of his best performances was in 2012 when he performed during the Big Brother - The Chase Live Eviction Show. The audience went into a frenzy singing along his songs. the same year, the talented rapper toured the United Kingdom together with Junior Brown and Take Fizzo for the Zimbabwe Stand Up Summer Jam 2013 concert.[10] In June 2015 he performed in Senegal at thge Festa2H Festival alongside global artists such as Akro from Belgium and Das EFX from the United States of America.[11]
Discography
Mixtapes
- Student Of The Game 1: Higher Learning (2008)
- Student Of The Game 2: Boys Will Be Boys (2010)
- Student Of The Game 3: The Pursuit Of Amazing
Singles
- Simudza Gumbo ft Dhadza D
Albums
- The Feeling Ain't Fair-with Few Kings (2013)
Awards
- Tehn won a National Arts Merit Awards in the Best video category for the song 'Happy'.
- Winner-Best Male artist, Zim Hip Hop awards
- nominated- Zimbabwe Achievers Awards 2014 in the International Music Artist Category.[12]
Video Gallery
References
- ↑ Phiona Okumu, Growing Pains: MC Tehn Diamond on Chasing Dreams and Repping Zimbabwe, Afripop Mag, Publihed: 2012, Retrieved: 4 Apr 2014
- ↑ A Moment With… Tehn Diamond, Three Men on a Boat, Published: 10 Jan 2012, Retrieved: 4 Apr 2014
- ↑ Tehn Diamond, #TheDailyTehN x "First You're A Fool, Then You're Free", I am Tehn, Published: 26 March 2014
- ↑ Holly Rahman, A – interviews – Tehn Diamond! [Zimbabwe], Around the A, Published: 3 Dec 2013, Retrieved :4 Apr 2014
- ↑ Godwin Mungwadzi, Ten questions with Tehn Diamond, Greedy South, Retrieved:4 Apr 2014
- ↑ Few Kings Drops ‘The Feeling Ain’t Fair’ [DOWNLOAD LINK INSIDE] , Three Men On A Boat, Published: October 23, 2015, Retrieved: September 3, 2015
- ↑ Mathew Masinge, Tehn Diamond stars in new movie, Herald, Published: April 15, 2015, Retrieved: September 3, 2015
- ↑ Sharon Muguwu, Tehn Diamond speaks on 'Simudza Gumbo', DailyNews, Published: 28 Jan 2014, Retrieved: 4 Apr 2014
- ↑ GS, Road to Perfect Tehn: Tehn Diamond x Junior Brown x Take 5, Greedy South, Published: Dec 2012, Retrieved: 4 Apr 2014
- ↑ Tafadzwa Zimoyo, Tehn Diamond sparkles on Big Brother, The Herald, Published: 13 Aug 2013, Retrieved: 4 Apr 2014
- ↑ Anesu Mawarire, Tehn Diamond for Senegal fest, Herald, Published: June 11, 2015, Retrieved: September 3, 2015
- ↑ Entertainment Reporters, Hip-hop duo up for awards, The Herald, Published: 11 Mar 2014, Retrieved: 4 Apr 2014
