Nairobi, Kenya- After the chaos at Furaha Fest, Tanzanian artist Diamond Platinumz addressed rumors about his failure to perform despite being the headliner.
The singer revealed he had been paid $150,000 for the event but left without performing and stated he would not refund the fee. In a video addressed to his fans, Diamond clarified that he usually avoids “foolish social media rumors” but felt compelled to explain since his mission is to promote East African music globally.
Diamond recounted arriving at the venue only to find it in a state of disarray, which raised security concerns. “The security state of the venue was very questionable. I sat in my car waiting to be called to the stage for my performance,” he said. He emphasized that he would not perform under unsafe conditions and would leave if the organizers failed to manage the event properly.
Addressing claims by Kenyan artist Willy Paul, who accused him of blocking his stage appearance, Diamond dismissed them as baseless. “Willy Paul has been looking to provoke me on social media, and I’ve been ignoring him. Forcing your way into someone else’s show doesn’t make sense,” he remarked.
Diamond added that his manager decided to take him back to his hotel, noting that it was already early morning, and performing at that hour would not excite the audience.
He also touched on what he perceives as a recurring bias in Kenya against Tanzanian artists, pointing to the enforcement of the 75% local music rule as a sign of preferential treatment for Kenyan musicians.
