HARARE – Until he collaborated with songbird Ammara Brown on the monster hit Mukoko last year, Tytan was an unknown rapper.
Mukoko, which has attracted almost two million hits on YouTube, made him an overnight sensation. His popularity went several notches up this year when he sensationally started dating socialite Olinda Chapel who had just divorced Zim Hip-Hop star Stunner amid claims of cheating.
Daily News on Sunday’s Entertainment Editor Dakarai Mashava recently spoke to Tytan on his arts career and his controversial relationship with Olinda.
Q: In a nutshell who is Tytan?
A: I am a musician, creative designer and entrepreneur.
Q: Is it true to say Mukoko transformed you from a fairly unknown artiste into an overnight national star?
A: It is quite true to say that. It really catapulted me into stardom and it was a great introduction for me into the music industry as a musician.
Q: Can you confirm that Ammara tried to buy Mukoko from you after it became a national hit? Are you still on good terms with Ammara?
A: No, she didn’t try to buy it from me, that is false. Yes, we are on good terms.
Q: How many songs and albums have you released?
A: I have released one album; 15 songs in total inclusive of the album tracks.
Q: Of the 15 songs, which one is your biggest hit?
A: My biggest still is Mukoko. That is a monster that doesn’t seem to go away.
Q: You collaborated with many artistes who include Bryan K and Adrian TATE. Which song would you rate as your best collaboration?
A: My best collaboration has been with Ammara Brown and that is Mukoko.
Q: How is your EP Tytan faring on the market? Do you think this project will spawn a hit bigger than Mukoko?
A: My EP is faring quite well. We have generated a lot of sales worldwide and locally. Songs on the EP have been received with open arms like the song Bho and Penge Penge, not sure if they will eventually turn out be bigger than Mukoko.
Q: What can we expect from you going forward on the music front?
A: Expect more collaborations, that’s the stage I am getting into as far as my music is concerned.
Q: At one time you were the manager of Cynthia Mare and Donald Kanyuchi? Is this still the case?
A: No, it isn’t the case anymore. My tenure with them ended when I decided to pursue my career as a musician.
Q: At one time you were running a production house, is it still operational? What is this production house all about?
A: No I am not doing that anymore. The production house I headed was called ABRA (African Bred Recording Artists). It housed professionals involved in music production. The founder of the organisation is United Kingdom-based Tawanda Sibotshiwe, popularly known as Jusa Dementor.
Q: In a previous interview you said you were the head of RIZE (Revolutionary Independent Zimbabwean Entrepreneurs) in Zimbabwe. What is this organisation about?
A: It is a network that focuses on the growth of young Zimbabwean entrepreneurs through business synergies and development programmes.
Q: Mukoko thrust you into the limelight but your relationship with Olinda Chapel has made you even more famous. Do you agree with this view?
A: That is false in my eyes. My growth came from the mystery behind the song Bho that people have assumed I wrote for Olinda though it is well-suited for her. It is a song I wrote last year in the United Kingdom while I was on tour and I am grateful that it is loved.
Q: Some people believe your relationship with Olinda is nothing more than a publicity stunt and that Olinda hooked up with you because she wanted to spite Stunner. What is your response to this?
A: It is not a publicity stunt at all. It is a real-life situation. Nothing about our relationship has anything to do with spite. I am not friends with Stunner; we never were, only acquaintances, so spiting him would never work in such a situation.
Q: You and Olinda are you ready to take your relationship to the next level? When can we expect wedding bells?
A: Well, that information will be at our own discretion and we are not ready to reveal our plans to anyone.
Q: Did Olinda mean it when she said you guys were working flat out to make a baby (or even twins)? Did you succeed on this mission?
A: That was banter, something people online fail to understand including media houses.
Q: The view of Olinda among most Zimbabweans is mostly shaped by her angry reaction on Facebook to Stunner’s alleged cheating. Since you were with her for the past three months, can you give us the other side of this popular lady that Zimbabweans don’t know about?
A: She is a very happy soul that loves her laughs and loves wholeheartedly. She is a very loving, caring and passionate woman who deserves all the love she can get right now as she was a victim of a con and abuse that was made trivial and it was turned into mere entertainment by the world. She had the right to speak out against her abuse like any of our sisters, daughters or mothers should.
Q: The other day you were on Facebook Live urging young Zimbabweans to vote. Are you going to do it often to make youngsters get involved in the voting process?
A: Yes, I will do what I can to encourage youths to have a say in what their future holds and that will only be realised by registering to vote and voting when election day comes.
Q: Anything about you that you think Zimbabweans should know?
A: I am a very liberal man that looks forward to the growth of Zimbabwean youth in any way possible.
