Helen Herimbi
He says he called the mixtape that because: “I wanted to give my fans an experience. It’s either you’re hip hop or R&B or house in this country. We’ve never had a musician who can bridge the gap between these worlds. I just wanted to do something different. That’s why the project is titled Mind vs Heart.
“You find yourself thinking about what people like and that’s versus what you (as an artist) like,” he continues, “so you have to find a balance between the two. As you grow as an individual, you may start to grow as a businessperson. You need to calculate your moves to get paid. It’s all about learning as you go.”
Tellaman is also learning the rules of the road to success. He already writes for himself and others. Through his Select Play collective, which includes Lastee, Beast and CrownedYung (all of whom are featured on Mind vs Heart), Tellaman is in charge of how he wants to sound.
Now, he is also managed by Free World Music that manages Rowlene and Nasty C. The latter has been a frequent collaborator with Tellaman. In March, they released a syrupy-sweet song called Nomakanjani.
This was followed by a song called Uno – on which they attempt to convince girls that they are The One – and just last week, a new song called Come Over from the pair was released. This is in addition to the three songs featuring Tellaman on Nasty C’s stellar debut, Bad Hair.
Tellaman says: “We just keep on making music because we like making music together. Even people say there’s a certain chemistry between us. Whatever comes out, just comes out.”
The 25-year-old who can be heard on the radio-charting DJ Speedsta single called Mayo, is aligning himself with other young, but major players. But he’s also trying to carve a lane for himself.
On Mayo, he sings about not dabbing, but doing the Madiba dance instead. On Mind vs Heart, he actually has a song called Madiba Dance where he sings about Tata’s jive, his face on money and more.
So I ask Tellaman what his obsession with Dibs is about. “I just love Mandela and what he stood for,” he explains. “He did things that a lot of us wouldn’t have done in his time. He made a better place for so many people. That’s dope. I can’t see how I, as an individual, cannot appreciate that.”
Mind vs Heart might have only been released last month, but Tellaman is already onto the next. He says: “I’m just going to drop a few singles and a few videos before the year ends. I’m not working on an album yet. We’ll see.”
Follow Tellaman on social media and download Mind vs Heart online.