Tehn Diamond’s TehnOuttaTen tour began last weekend at Stars Club in Harare. We caught up with Tehn to find out what was going through his mind.
How did you feel before the show started?
Leading up to the show, I was honestly the most nervous I’ve been in an extremely long time. It’s one thing to merely be booked for a show, it’s an entirely different thing to try and put together your own. I’m used to wearing various hats as an artist in Zimbabwe, but this night was different. In fact, this entire tour is different, I have a lot more riding on it, both from a creative perspective and a business one.
How did the supporting acts do?
All the supporting acts gave an incredible performance. I watched my brother Simba Tagz come alive with the band behind him. I watched proudly as Thaiwanda Thai introduced himself to his hometown audience, a performance I know that meant a whole lot to him. The greatest joy came from watching Ammara Brown, who I call The Lion Queen, give us the kind of electric performance we’ve all come to expect from here . . . only this time as a first time NAMA winner.
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What was the most memorable moment of the day?
To see folks singing and rapping along to an album that came out just over a month ago was amazing for me. Tracks like “Lost Sons” “No Stress” and “One Day” were very well received, and let me know that the creative risks I took on my album “a few good poems” were well worth it.
Lessons learnt?
I’ll admit that I hoped for much better attendance, but between the rains and the NAMA awards I know we had our work cut out for us. More than anything I left the night with some very useful lessons and insight into areas we can improve on for the remaining shows.
All in all the night was a success. I’m gonna give this one a five out of TEHN, simply because I know we have so many more levels to reach.
Where is the tour going next?
This week my focus is on making Mutare and Marondera the best shows yet. We have a solid and incredible package and I’m going to be doing all I can to make sure as many people as possible get to experience it.
Mutare and Marondera can expect nothing short of fireworks. I’ve been reviewing the night with my team on the performance side, most notably Take Fizzo and we are amped to turn the heat up a notch. And on the ground with the help of my tour organizer Jackson De Zimboy, we’re hoping to run things a whole lot smoother.
All in all, I’m more determined and excited than ever to make the #TehnOuttaTenTour a huge success.
