INTERVIEW Afrobeat Music is Accepted Globally – Diamond Sheva

Victoria Oshona, popularly known as Diamond Sheva, is a Nigerian A and R manager, as well as a public relations expert. In this interview with TUNDE OMOLEHIN, she speaks on the Nigerian music industry, her promotional works and how upcoming African artists can excel. Excerpts:

Tellus about yourself and background

My name is Diamond Sheva. I am an artist/ repertoire manager and public relations practitioner. I am from Kabba town in Kogi State. I have made an impressive career using the music business in the past seven years. I am the founder of DIMA Africa Empire and Africa’s representative at Menta Music.

You did some commercial modeling in the past. Can you tell us more about your sojourn in the fashion industry?

I did commercial modeling for a few years. I worked with Exotic Model in Accra, Ghana. I also got an opportunity to be featured as Sun Girl in Daily Sun Newspaper in 2015. It was an adventure that I was involved in between 2010 and 2016 before delving into the music business.

At what point did it occur to that you could fit into the music industry?

At first, I just realised that I was in love with fashion. I really wanted to launch myself into both the fashion and entertainment industry. But, first, I had to do a bit of modeling for about four or five years in both Nigeria and Ghana. It was during this period that I met Amota Dking. He was still an upcoming artist with raw talent. I realised that he was a good artist but lacked a manager. He eventually asked me to be his manager. After we had some discussions, I realised that I had the capacity for the job. I am the kind of person that likes doing one thing at a time. I decided to quit commercial modeling and focus on being an artist manager.

I started my music business in 2015 after meeting Amota Dking. I started getting him shows within Nigeria and promoting his work. At a point, we moved to Ghana and started promoting him there. In 2018, I was contacted by a music executive in Nairobi, Kenya for partnership. That was the moment I entered the music industry fully.

I was asked by Mdundo to represent Mdundo in West Africa. They are into the music library business. During my spell with them, I played a major role in signing up 50 percent of our priority artists within West Africa. In Nigeria for instance, we have the likes of Mavin Records, Chocolate City, DMW, Mad Solution, Omah Lay, Chike, etc. I was able to sign them up with Mdundo. I was also organising and attending meetings with our partners in Nigeria, Ghana and Liberia. Also I was able to submit over 30 new releases weekly for uploading on Mdundo’s library and send them for marketing promotion via Mdundo. So, it was through Mdundo I was able to immerse myself into the music industry in Africa.

How many countries have you taken your work to?

I have good relationships with some stakeholders in the music industries of Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda Tanzania, Mozambique, Zambia, Liberia, Kenya and Cameroon.

What kind of music genre do you enjoy promoting?

Any music genre, but the content has to be good enough. It could be Afrobeat, Gospel and any other kind of secular music. The lyrics have to be good, too.

Amota Dking is one of the music stars under your label/management. Tell us more about his work and latest album?

Amota Dking is a great talent whose works have been under the DIMA Africa Empire Africa for about a decade now. In 2017, he dropped an album and won four best albums in East Africa. We got various awards with the album. It was that album that motivated us to do more and aimed global. In 2019, he also dropped another album called Africa with Zojak Music Worldwide, a distribution company from Jamaica. The album was in Zojak Music until last year when we took it down and gave it to Menta Music. Last year, Amota Dking dropped another album titled ‘Big Waist’. His new album project called 7'7 EP will be released exclusively on Boomplay and distributed by Menta Music by February 24, 2023. We had a meeting with Boomplay and they wanted us to drop the album only for them for about two weeks before others can pick it up. So, the album will only be on Boomplay exclusively. Also, this year, we are planning big things for him, starting with a United States tour by April and a European tour by June this year.

What are your thoughts about the Nigerian music industry?

Nigeria's music industry has become global. I'm so proud of the industry because in Europe and other continents, it is all about afrobeat. In the United States, they have even forgotten their hip-pop and embraced afrobeat. I'm proud of that. Nevertheless, I think, there is more to do on the part of managing these artists. Most of these managers are really destroying these artists by scamming for selfish reasons. I always advise most artists that I come across by telling them to work with managers they can trust. The last time I travelled to the USA, some artists that I interacted with are telling me their experiences with managers who scammed them just to take them to Africa. A lot of these artists based abroad wanted to come to Africa and have a show or tour because of the booming audience in the industry, but they ended up being scammed by the so-called managers.

Can you name any big artist you would like to work with?

I wish I could work with any big artists, but my priority as an A and R manager is to get good talent. Even if it is an upcoming artist that has good content and a label to back it up, I will definitely work with him or her. But my major aim is to be one of the best artist managers in Africa.

Aside music promotion, what else are you involved in?

I'm into branding and advertising. I am currently working with Menta Music as Africa’s representative. In Menta Music we provide an advanced and reliable promotional service to artistes. We distribute artist music to Spotify and Apple music, among others.

What has DIMA Empire Africa been able to achieve since it was founded?

When we started DIMA Empire Africa, I was not sure how far the music industry could go because a lot of budget was attached to every activity. But, in the end, we were able to establish it in East Africa with their artists under our label. We also secured many good artistes in Tanzania under the DIMA Empire Africa. We want to work with more artistes this year as long as they have good contents.

We are working on how to register the DIMA Empire in the USA. We don't want to limit our operations or presence in Africa alone. We want to see the possibility of working with other global artists directly. That is our goal at the moment and we are working to achieve it. We are open to any artiste that has good content and a good marketing budget to work with.

Polls: Lai Mohammed Lauds Nigerians’ Determination

As Nigerians await the outcome of the Saturday general elections, Information and Culture Minister Lai Mohammed has lauded his compatriots’ determination to elect credible leaders for the country.

Mohammed, who voted at his Polling Unit 006 in Oro Ward 2, Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara, particularly lauded the voting process which he described as “peaceful”.

He also lauded the massive turn-out of voters.

“What struck me the most is the turn-out of the young, old, strong, the physically challenged men and women; they all came out to cast their votes.

Elections: Police, PDP Praise Peaceful Conduct in Imo

The Police Command in Imo and the National Secretary of the PDP, Sen. Samuel Anyanwu, have lauded the peaceful conduct of Saturday’s election in the state.

They gave the commendation on Sunday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) while giving their assessment of the election in the state.

The state’s Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), ASP Henry Okoye, said that the command did not record any violence or any arrest in any polling unit.

Likewise, Sen. Samuel Anyanwu, who hailed the Police and other security operatives for their professional conduct, said there was no report of violence in his area.

Anyanwu, who said he voted at Polling Unit 012, Central School, Amaimo in Ikeduru Local Government Area, said the entire electoral process was peaceful.

“The process was peaceful, except for the fact that INEC officials were not so conversant with the BVAS.

“Although they managed the situation, they were slow in handling the BVAS machine,” Anyanwu said, while expressing optimism of an improved process in subsequent elections.

In his assessment, Okoye noted that security operatives deployed for the election performed their duties professionally.

“Our men conducted themselves in the best professional, democratic and human-right compliant manner, and I can tell you that Imo people can attest to this,” Okoye said.

According to him, many had thought that Imo would be hot and that elections would not be held in the state.

Okoye attributed the security success recorded in the state to the strategy deployed by the state’s Commissioner of Police, Mr Muhammed Barde, his management team as well as the synergy with other security agencies.

“The strategic deployment of security personnel yielded a lot of results, even the seminars we have been conducting also contributed and yielded a lot of results,” he added.

He also commended Imo youths “because they did not only come out en masse to exercise their franchise at the polling units but devolved themselves to nonviolence in any form.

“And as such, the election was peaceful in every polling unit where the election was conducted,” he said.

However, Okoye declined comments when asked about attempts by suspected hoodlums to disrupt Saturday’s election process in Orsu.

NAN gathered that security operatives intercepted election materials which were hijacked by the hoodlums in Orsu.

Eyewitness said security operatives neutralised the hoodlums and duly returned the materials to the INEC officials.

According to the source, elections subsequently proceeded peacefully in the area.