FEATURE

He’s collaborated with some of the world’s most famous musicians but now Daecolm – the renowned Zimbabwean producer and songwriter – is going solo, determined to take the sounds of southern Africa right around the world

Dawn has just broken in downtown Harare. The pigeons are taking full advantage of the quiet streets, hopping around in the middle of the road pecking at scraps, taking their chances before the thunderous rush-hour traffic begins. People are walking to work, heads down, steadying themselves after an undoubtedly bone-shaking combi ride into the centre of town. Among the commuters turning the corner of Sam Nujoma Street onto Union Avenue comes Daecolm who, apart from wheeling a smart hard-shell silver suitcase, blends seamlessly into his surroundings.

With his hair wrap hanging loosely around his shoulders, headphones on and head buried deep in his phone, there is no fanfare to Daecolm’s arrival – no entourage or assistant, nothing to suggest that this man leads a rather extraordinary life. For Daecolm’s usual commuter route is between Johannesburg, London and LA; his work is crafting the words and melodies for many of the tracks that are probably playing on the headsets of the people he walks beside along Union. The Zimbabwean singer, songwriter and music producer has flipped his flights and fiddled with his schedule to make it to Harare (via Johannesburg and Bulawayo) in time to make the photoshoot for the magazine’s second issue.

Daecolm’s understated, unfussy arrival to the downtown Design//Life cover shoot turns out to be typical behaviour. He deals with our rudimentary set-up like a pro (his changing room is the boot of a car, hair and make-up is done on the passenger seat). We have a limited amount of time to get the shots before the morning light changes and we get chased away by shop keepers and parking attendants. But Daecolm gets it; he moves quickly and changes position proactively and we are done in little over an hour.

Although born in Zimbabwe, Daecolm Diego Holland spent the most part of his early childhood in England at an all-boys boarding school just outside London. “I made the best of friends there,” he says. His manager Chris is one such buddy. “We got to know each other when we were 12,” Daecolm says. “We were some of the only black kids at the school. While everyone else was listening to Oasis and AC/DC, we bonded over our love of R’n’B, Mario’s Turning Point – “Nikes Fresh Out The Box” was our favourite.”

A five-week holiday to New Zealand turned out to be the start of a new life for Daecolm and his family, who settled in the North Island’s capital Auckland when he was 15. “I loved it,” he says. “It has such a special place in my heart because it was where I got my first big break as a recording artist.”

A little more coy than fellow wunderkind chart-topper Justin Bieber, Daecolm is shy about disclosing the name of his first release which went to the top of the New Zealand charts when he was just 16. “It was mad,” he says. “I went for an interview at a new school and while I was talking to the headteacher, all the kids had their faces pressed to the window, shouting my name. It blew my mind. That recognition was so weird to handle at that age but I’m used to it now,” he continues. “I can still get awkward about it, but then I think to myself, ‘Come on, bro, you’ve got a song out that people know. Deal with it.’”

A brief foray into the world of boybands also helped Daecolm to deal with his rising level of fame. After completing a degree in digital design at Auckland University, Daecolm joined his family back in London and, as part of a managed pop group, auditioned for the UK version of The X Factor. His band Juke Box made it through the initial auditions – admirably surviving the critical gaze of Simon Cowell and his panel of faux-terrifying celebrity judges – through to boot camp where his dream of being the next *NSYNC died. “I wasn’t passionate about being in a boyband but I got so much from the experience,” says Daecolm. “It was such a learning curve and really gave me an idea of what the music industry was like.”

A connection early on with music producer Wayne Beckford of British band Nine Yards was also a helpful step-up for the young Daecolm. “My dad put me in touch with Wayne and I used to just go and watch him work in his studio. I was fascinated by what he did and one day I said to him, ‘How do you do this? Please can you teach me?’ Wayne was amazing, he taught me everything I know.”

He may have cut some early breaks, but Daecolm’s musical talent is innate: “I can pick up any instrument apart from the drums,” he says. “They just take way too much coordination. I can’t read music either so I play by ear. I listen a few times to something, figure out the chords and then I’ve got it.”

Daecolm’s inbuilt musicality soon caught the attention of LA songwriter and producer Andre Merritt – the man responsible for hits such as Rhianna’s “Disturbia” and Omarion’s “Entourage” – who invited Daecolm to LA and soon after offered him a publishing deal. Conscious of nailing his flag too fast, Daecolm turned down the deal but carried on writing and producing, still determined to one day perform his own tracks. “I really looked up to Elijah Blake [co-writer of Usher’s hit “Climax”]. Through Elijah I saw that there was also an avenue to being an artist as well as behind the scenes as a writer and producer.”

While his personal singing ambitions simmered, Daecolm perfected his writing and producing, working with luminaries such as dancehall DJ Beenie Man, Nigerian favourite Ayra Starr and Zimbabwean queen Tamy Moyo, until he came to the attention of R’n’B’s controversial Chris Brown. Together they wrote and produced 2022’s “It’s Giving Christmas”, the track that would take Daecolm to a whole new level within the music industry.

His collaboration with Brown seemed to give Daecolm the confidence to step out of the shadows of the synthesizers and samplers and get in front of the microphone and monitors. He had enjoyed solo success in 2021 with the release of “Hot Topic”, but 2023 was the year in which his singing career truly took off, releasing two singles – “Confidence” and “Lonely” – as well as an EP, Lessons.

‘The music of southern Africa is where it’s at right now. You can hear our sounds starting to spread around the world’

February 2024 heralded the new single “I Might”, a melodic, cascading track that beautifully showcases Daecolm’s superb vocal range. Released to coincide with Valentine’s Day, the song speaks of the comfort of love, the peace and security that love can bring when it’s right. “I think that it’s the most heartfelt song I’ve put out,” he says. “It’s about a universal type of love, not just person-to-person love. What you love is up to you, there are no boundaries. Love is love. That’s why I have the track’s artwork tattooed on my arm – it’s there as a reminder that I should love like this as constantly as I can.”

“I Might” is also a love letter to Daecolm’s country of birth: at the end of the song he is joined by the choir of Girls College Bulawayo, whose longer choral arrangement can be heard in all its glory on the acoustic version released in April. “I loved working with them,” he says. “I want to do whatever I can to get kids inspired. By singing on the track and watching it stream they can see that they can go places. It’s rewarding for us all.”

“I’m not back in Zimbabwe just to further my career,” Daecolm says. “I want to help elevate the talent in this country. I’m so sick of hearing, ‘That kid has so much potential,’ and then nothing happens. If we want to be seen as a really great nation then we need to empower our youth and invest in their talent. We need to get them equipment, visas. We need to start reinforcing the ideas of resolutions and conclusions, not just problems. We have the same amount of talent as the rest of the world but we don’t have a support system that will take us all the way.”

“I love Zimbabwe and I want people to know that I’m from here,” he continues. “The music of southern Africa is where it’s at right now, we’re in the thick of it and you can hear our sounds – like amapiano, SA house, gqom – starting to spread around the world. Just look at the global success of South African DJs such as Shimza and Kabza de Small, and singer Tyla. I don’t want this music to stay here, I want to take it around the world.”
There’s no doubt he’ll do just that.

Words by Milly McPhie
Photographs by Lennox Makurumidze

Daecolm’s single, ‘I Might’, is out now.
IG: @daecolm