 by David Guaron, who is an artist management, who begun as a rapper in high school, businessman and today he's a veteran, entrepreneur, he lives in Congo, hailing from the home of the county. Welcome David. Thank you for having me. It's nice to have you here. Pleasure. Something outstanding about you before we even talk about anything else is your profile. Ya. It's really outstanding. I was looking at it and I was like man, it's like four pages. It's three. It's three actually. Three pages for someone and you're like, hey manzeh jotu manzeh easy manzeh witu zingina fani fani. These are three and detailed. I'm grateful at least it's something that I didn't just put it there for the sake of it. Actually I left out a lot of stuff that I felt were necessary. So to sum it, you should have 15 pages. It's a magazine. Or more. Anyway, that's David himself of course. He's going to introduce himself in a far much better way because we know him as a veteran entrepreneur, artist manager and a rapper himself. It's a former rapper. Ya, I'm no longer doing it. Ya, you're no longer doing it. Why? Okay, just reached a place in my life. I just decided, okay this rapping or music thing is not my thing. Right. So as in, I just decided not to be on stage but be behind the scenes. Okay. Or doing the business aspect of it. Ya, not just be okay. I felt like, if it's a point, I felt like I'm better of a kingmaker than the king himself. Wow, okay. We're done. Ya, so and that is something that not most people realize. We always push for things that we are not happy with. But the fact that it's paying our bills, we just do it. And there's nothing worse than doing something that you don't love and you're not happy with for the sake of settling your bills. I know bills are crazy in Nairobi but I just said okay, let me be behind the scenes because it's not something that I'm happy with but I'm happy as an entrepreneur but I'm also doing music business. So I decided to do talent management and development and started managing artists. Right. Before we even get to artist management, you're the CEO of Hailment Entertainment. Ya, ya. Of which now comes all after now you being an entrepreneur in primary school, in high school. You know kooza manzei adi nguwa. To primary kids in high school manzei. Ya, I did that, I did all that. How come at the age of 13 you knew what business is? Okay, growing up what people don't know is I grew up in a very tough, I had a tough bringing like the extreme of poverty. Like I remember growing up in Umabei and I remember I had a single, I was raised by a single mum. So growing up I remember there's a small open-air market in Umabei called Sokomjinga. So I remember growing up as a little kid, my mum was selling cereals in that market. So I remember sometimes I would go from school, then just sit right beside her and I see how she's doing I think. And I think that's the only time I exposed myself or rise to entrepreneurship. I would say that's the only time. So from there I just picked it up. Over the years I've just been building it up. Wow, that's amazing David. And something really outstanding is the fact that you aren't 10,000 in high school. Ya, that is the highest amount I made now growing up within that age. That is the biggest amount I've ever made. And the fact that I made it within a short period and just purely out of entrepreneurship. That was also amazing for me and that's why I had to put it in my profile. So I remember I was actually a rapper way back in high school. That's why I started rapping. When we had ceremonies in school and also on Sundays when we had services they used to call me on stage to just entertain guys and minister. And I used to be a gospel rapper then. Oh, then? Ya, ya. So I used to minister in the church. So after that then I saw the business in it. I did that much. Like how many are we in school? We are under a thousand. So how about I bring out CDs and start selling to these guys. That's how I did my first mixtape. Hold it right there David. You just estimated the number of students that you are then you produce David CDs. Ya, I went and did a mixtape. It was a five tracks mixtape called The Seer Zamja. I was just expressing myself. And everyone bought? Actually I sold the CD for like two years. I made more than that but now I just try to get a figure for it. Wow, let's talk about before you even quit the music industry and released several singles and collabs with big artists. Which you have done. Some of the big names you have done. The highlight I did there's a song called Peace of Mind that I did with Kali Graf Jones. Ya, and I also did one with Labala. Now the question comes in why work with big names? Get it all done for you. I believe it was earning something and then decide to quit. Just to venture into artist management. Okay, just as I've said before for me doing music the reception I got was really well. Like even some of the media personalities up to date I told them I'm not doing music. They still don't believe it up to date. No one day you just go back to music. There are lots of them. So okay it was just a personal decision and that's what I was telling you be offset that many times we do things that we are not happy with from within but we do it because it pays our bills or it gives us some level of fame and stuff. So for me I didn't want to do something and just keep on struggling with it when it's not making me happy. So it reached a point actually I had an unreleased album a full album but they never released and I just trust it. So it reached a level just decided I'm not going to continue being the artist but I'm going to be behind artist and make artist. What gap did you see because I'm trying to juke my mind around the aspect you know you have been making money from this side and you talked about it's passion that made you to quit. What gap did you see in terms of you know artist management because I believe it's something that was there even back then. One thing I can tell you is that as an artist I went through the normal struggles that each and every artist goes through which as an artist in Kenya I'd say artists are going through the toughest careers I can tell you that because one you can't do it alone so you need a team and you see before you start needing a team you need to be making some money and you know in the initial stages of your career you need to be making anything so it's really crazy so not having a manager or a team behind me to push and support me also was some of the reasons that I felt like ok I'm not having a team or a manager to actually advise me see most artists you just what you can present is just talent the business aspect of it the branding and everything the planning all that is handled by a manager and we will be talking about that because probably someone is watching what is this branding all about and that is keen so having struggled with getting a manager or a team I sat down and asked myself how many artists could be going through the same there's so many and in Kenya I can tell you for free I'm probably the only person who actually went and studied it that talent management and development it's not a cost being offered anywhere within Kenya so having done it now I decided ok I did not just wake up one day and decided to do it I went off first like 2 years I took a break of 2 years then just to get my mind together because I didn't want to just rush into anything so I took a 2 years break then after that I started starting and doing a lot of research out there then started also networking with the media because you can't also say you're a manager you're a publicist all that when you don't have your connects right right so I started networking and studying then after now I felt ok I'm good to go I started out scouting for talent and I got my first artist that I started pushing and yeah that's how I picked it up yes we'll be talking about that especially about Nadia Mukami we'll be coming to that but let's now narrow it down even now to the entertainment company that you have what is it all about ok Helmand Entertainment Company it's a registered company in Kenya it's Helmand Entertainment Company Limited it's a recording studio actually the profile I would give it it's actually an entertainment and creative company so what we deal with we have a recording studio where artists can come and record we also have a next week we're setting up a photography skit where we love photography we also do artist management and development and we also do music distribution we do distribution to all stores worldwide if you're looking to get your music on iTunes, Spotify, all skis all that we do that before even ask my next question is it some sort of trying to venture into some business field because some people feel like these things not just another business it's a business it's a business we can put that on record it's a business for me in Africa looking back in history when you look at how we perceive music or entertainment it's something that you do as a by the way that's why most of our parents have not embraced music or entertainment as a career that's why if you're doing music your parent will ask you what else so they always make it look like so you should have a main asshole but I can tell you for free guys out here living off music so people are really living because of music not just living, living large wow, alright I love that living large and here I am I think I need to venture into music alright Hailment is all about that I saw from your public relations really touched you over the same in publicity actually I work with them even currently I'm working with a number of big names just trying to push the music out there let me ask this the PR is it about you or rather the persons that you work with ok so an artist approaches me then they tell me guru I have this new project it could be a music video I call it a project in totality because it's the audio bit and the video bit so I want to promote this music to get an audience an audience in terms of getting hair play and booking them for media to promote the music it's just actually a campaign alright you mentioned about big names for instance hey there are lots of them I've worked with Cindy Sanyu from Uganda I've worked with Gulan from France I've worked with Kristoff I've worked with Gabu I've worked with Bahati as an artist manager? no just managing artists I've always managed I've never wanted to manage any established name that's one thing you want to raise I want to raise that's one thing that I've always told myself I don't want to manage I've been approached by the number of them but I don't like managing an artist to be established how many PR firms do you work with? I just have one PR firm that works ok personally people engage me just to promote the music if you have a new music out there that you want me to push on the media, YouTube marketing I do all that so your work is I bring you my product and I get it to the market and I get it to the market probably someone is watching you and asking what are some of the things that you look at even presenting my work ok those levels and also having been in this for some years there's a relation I've created with some media personalities that even you right now we've created a relation like you know me in person next time I call you until you have this artist that I'm working with I would like you to just give them an audience or just listen to their work there's a way you already perceive me so you don't expect me to bring you poor quality audio poor quality video you get it so there's some level and you see not just the artist but you can also see the market itself the artist out there even in Kenya right now guys are now stepping up in terms of doing high quality music videos and stuff so you can't go below you just have to step up because ok that's the only way you guys are going to give you an audience that's amazing I'm loving what you do I'm really loving what you do and it's a big gap let's talk about what you mentioned earlier on about artist management about branding and all that what is it in full major in content what is it all about artist management mostly as an artist you're just a creative you just think and when you realise in developed countries like in the US they tap that and start nurturing that talent from a tender age that's why if you're a footballer your mum will take you to a football academy at a tender age so that by the time you're 15 you're a professional footballer so you just ok the artist management is now the business aspect of the talent ok I can sing anyone can sing you also sing in the shower it's just that you're not going to a studio so the difference between you and a professional artist is that a professional artist makes money off it so then how then do you make money you make money by first knowing that you are a business most artists do music and they think it's a hobby it's business when you start doing music as a business you start looking at things differently so as an artist manager when I look at an artist I first listen to their music then I picture which audience relates to that because I can't bring new rumba music public music comes in ya which cause I can't bring rap song to a rumba audience get it so I need first to picture which audience best fits this music then what are the trends in that market like right now this gang get on vibe that everyone is vibing to there are a number of artists trying to jump on it so right now those guys are making money but you see there's an artist out there who has pictured ok my audience is Afropop so I need to now do a lot of research on Afropop it's just like bringing a product into the market you need to know ok who are your competition how is the market you do some market research because if I were to set up a business next to a business I need to know what that business is not doing well that I need to improve on or what that business that hasn't introduced that I need to introduce you just need to have an edge in all ways so that you stand out cause ok fans of calligraph johns will not switch their mind to something else if it's not better than calligraph that's it alright guys that's the voice of none other than David Guaro himself the CEO of HailMind is giving us some good and insightful thing about music and business or rather music business in general it's all about talking about matters related to your music you've got a passion while you can get in touch with him and of course you can keep interacting with us on social media platforms at Y254 that is on Facebook on Twitter we are at Y254 channel you can of course even interact with me it's K underscore Alex Guaro let's talk about you've mentioned about standing out when others are blending in terms of their passion and what they love because you quit rapping and decided to venture into something different how best can you stand out because we are looking at the music industry it's really flocked how best can you stand out standing out is just having the right team behind you right team behind right team behind in terms of you don't need just a team you need a team of serial strategist people who look at you and try to try to manipulate in terms of business you get it like I look at you and I look at the market then I try to bring you in a way package you in a way presenting a way that people are going to switch their focus from the rest of the artists to you now you need that kind of a team how do you get that kind of a team that team if you're starting out that team could be your best friend that team could be your brother that thing could be your sister because you're not making money most successful artists are actually managed by like Bana Boy is managed by the mum wow alright Celine Dion was being managed by the husband and you see they didn't marry they started out as just purely business and they ended up getting married so cause this is what why I say like sometimes you need the first people you need in your business are people who know you because artist management good people don't know artist management is more like marriage it's marriage because when I'm managing an artist when I'm managing an artist how they feel affect my business do you know that if I'm like people know me for managing most females if a female artist that I'm managing has a problem with the boyfriend she'll come to the studio moody that will affect my business I won't get a good music I can even record a song from it exactly so it affects my business so I need to know what you're going through as an artist and what stage you are in your career you have worked with several young talents let's just mention one Nadia Mukami and of course you have been with others and all along you mentioned about you love nurturing talents other than going for the people established persons the reason I don't like working with established artists is because one they come with a lot of ego and know it all so I've never wanted to I didn't want to work with someone who one day will start feeling like they helped me I've always wanted to just nacha and get something new into the market I've never wanted to ride on someone's shine and Nadia is really doing nice? Nadia is doing great I'm really proud of her she's doing great and she's going places that's what I can tell just give us some of the things that probably you feel by now are really outstanding from her Nadia starting out she knows there are times we could walk in the streets of Nairobi and no one even cared about us then with the time she had to not even get into a matatu not even come down in the first place so there's that growth so right now I would say she's just outstanding she's one of the biggest female artists I would say right now because looking at her I don't see any competition that she has is music about fame? fame is just part of it publicity ok you can't put out a music and no one talks about it if it's not been talked about then you're not big what is being big? being big is just being on everyone's mouth and being on every screen being on every paper if guys are not talking about you in the neighborhood Mamamboga is not talking about you and the TVs are not playing and you're not getting bookings or shows and everything how big are you then? alright we only know you as a producer kando exactly so now that's when you need a team to ensure that you are all over the place so Nadia how did you begin for her? how did you go and get her? first thing people don't know is I remember it was on a Friday late 2017 I was just chilling at home then I received a WhatsApp message Nadia had sent me a WhatsApp message she told me I would like to send you something then I was like I don't like ignoring people by then if you send me anything on WhatsApp I'll just open and check it out so I told her ok send me an email she sent it Nadia sent me an email she sent me a career plan what she wanted and where she saw herself that's what made me work with Nadia she already had a picture of where she wanted to be she even had a logo she even added a name do you know that we had I changed Nadia's name she wasn't called Nadia Mukami she went with some funny name called Nadie Exclusive and I took her through a process of changing the name and it was tough she was like ah no no no but I told her stop thinking like an artist so most artists always put themselves in the artist's shoes as an artist you always want all these nice nice names but now as a manager as a marketer you think of how do we pocket this brand and does the name affect the image and everything what does that brand represent so we changed the name we changed the number of things she even came up with a logo it was restructuring and everything from there we started working and so far so good she's out there doing great things a big up Nadia we need to meet up atleast nukselimia let me get to this you are talking about artist management and from what I'm getting you really care about the image which relates so much to public relations you are talking about being branded still rates public relations is this some sort of a public relation firm that is in target for artists more like ok music entertainment is all about show and biz that's why it's show biz show biz so you have to show then from the show you need to make some money this is the biz aspect of every show so it's all about putting out music ensuring that that music gets you money it's not just the artist to just do it and something else you need to know not every artist does music for money, the artist would do music for fame that's why I had to ask the question between is it all about fame ok fame is good but fame is also very dangerous very very dangerous can finish you because lots of big artists go through a lot of depression that we never hear about because they are denied their selves like you can't just interact normally you can't when you may say you know in our sleepers you cross the road and go take to Mamamboga you can't do so you realize you just secluded fame is good but fame comes with a lot of consequences I'd like us to roll some of the pictures of Nadia and some of the things that she has been doing just Nadia now right there I wish we had some pictures from zero all the way going now to how I'm coming I love these so tell us more about what really outstands you that I asked before Ile kitu kimongile bengal samanga man she has really worked that journey Nadia has an image most female artists are always struggling with getting an image for females I don't want to use the word sex cells but I would say for a female 70% of a female fan base is male females are not always supported by their female counterparts never I can tell you that it's always a competition so for you to present yourself that's why a woman will wake up in the morning do makeup and all that so as a female you always need to picture that ladies are you doing it for us we need to you need to picture that first you picture that these are man that's why sometimes you go home you rush home to watch news because it's being presented by some female artists some female presenter so you need to picture that my audience is male so I need to look sexy and hot and besides that you need to present some really dope music that they will be like ok she is hot but then again she is also super talented so that's what more like nadiha has all that do men do the same yeah men do the same that's why some men would take off t-shirts do all those six park and stuff it's for women you can do that for a fellow man exactly now you have an event coming up this weekend yeah I have a workshop ok this year I just decided to just branch out and try do more than that than just doing talent management and development so I decided ok having interacted with a number of artists out here I realized most artists don't know so much about this music because even the most establish ones they are just there I don't know if it was just luck that they got there but most of them don't know anything or even most important things so with the lack of knowledge and misinformation in regards to branding marketing, PR and all that and artist management I decided how about I just set up a forum or a platform where I can at least have an audience of artists or music entrepreneur or entusiast just have a place where we can discuss and I take them through what it takes to have a successful music career, take them through contracts, take them through copyrights, take them through what publicity, music PRT is all about what actually artist management means because I get artists calling me that they want me to manage them I ask them a simple question what do you understand by artist management onanilipia studio, onanilipia video, onanilipia kilakitu that's what artists understand artist management is more like let's say for example, this is a simple understanding of artist management you have a company today but you are busy running other things, you are just an investor you have set up a business so you have to look for a manager, manager is probably on a payroll so what's the work of the manager you as an investor or an interpreter you pictured an idea or a business opportunity then you are like let me set it up for you to set it up, for you to grow people behind it, you look for a manager who is going to manage all things so the manager is co-work is just to ensure that the objective, the vision you had is achieved because of time unfortunately David you need to know where the event will be, how much is it actually I will be having an event on this Saturday in Nairobi October 5 this Saturday in Nairobi where it's a workshop where I will be just training and taking artists through how to start, run and grow a successful music career so artists need to be there you need to get your tickets actually we have very few tickets remaining at the moment so guys can follow me David Goro or Helma Entertainment for to just get to know how to get their tickets and stuff it's going to be an amazing thing because I've really prepared, I've never had sleepless nights trying to just gather lots and doing research and gather information about music now finally we usually have this question that you usually ask I know you probably in one conversation try to answer it but I said I'll ask at the tail end in the next 5 years where do you see yourself for me I see myself as one of those as a great music mogul a guru wow all right give us a parting shot to Malizai Ketru my parting shot is just to tell guys first I have two one is in regards to my event artist and everyone needs to get your tickets follow me on David Goro David Goro on all platforms and get your tickets it's not good I always say this like if you keep on doing things the same way then you don't expect a different result so come learn and start doing things differently in order to get a different result and lastly music is business it's not a hobby I wanted to look at this camera so to all parents out there let your child do music music is a business just try and nurture it and be there artists need support because sometimes these are matters of creativity they can't be creative if they have all this rebellion and resistance all around them so they just need positive energy and positive vibe around them nurture them and next time they'll just be giving you a key to your house all right the voice of David Goro what really outstanding for me in his parting shot is very straight support your children nature, character and creativity and they're gonna be great and awarding back whatsoever goes around comes around that's none other than David many thanks for making it we appreciate you being here you can of course interact with him well Barry Moss is coming up next please as entrepreneurship Tuesday Rangia Alex keep it Y254 thanks for coming