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| Marvin Slim: Founder of Blu Nation Recording |
Marvin Slim is an alias I have been carrying since my early years back in my home town Limbe. My real names are Marvin Mvondo born to a part Francophone and Part English-speaking Families. I'm based in the United States where I am currently wrapping up a Masters degree in Business Management.
KB - Blu Nation is a fairly new company, which is already making headlines especially after signing Tzy Panchak and yet we don't even know much about it. Can you tell us about your company?
BLU NATION is an Entertainment, Promotions, Talent management, Fashion and Design and Recording company. As at this moment we have launched the Recording Division of the company and we are proud to say we were fortunate enough through the help of a friend Mrs Mirabel Abongta to acquire a prolific and rare talent TZY Panchak to our imprint.
KB - What motivated you to start Blu Nation?
My motivation has always been my deep unending love for my country and my people. Makossa use be one of the most popular African genres when I was growing up as I little boy but as the years went by the International music community gradually shifted to Ivorian, Nigerian and music made by other nations. I applaud the efforts made my my fellow Cameroonian Conrad’s who have been trying endlessly to regain that recognition. BLU NATION is here to join in that struggle and we preach positivity and collectiveness. We believe strongly in Cameroonian Music and we are here to support each and artist struggling to achieve a break through in the industry.
KB - Are you going to sign any other Cameroonian artist soon or it is just Tzy Panchak for now?
Definitely. BLU NATION is here to stay we are still in the early stages of the Company. Not only will we sign new talent we will also support and manage the careers or record distribution of artist signed to other smaller imprints who lack the necessary tools to distribute their artist music on a larger scale. We will also manage and acquire talent from various different parts of the entertainment industry from Actors to Models all the way up to athletes in the near future.
KB - Some of our readers said that the 25 million FCFA deal your company signed with Tzy Panchak is just for "show". Can you address that please?
It’s unfortunate that parts of the contract found its way to the Internet but as a company we try to maintain confidentiality especially on sensitive matters like contract details. So I cannot confirm or deny anything on that subject in sorry but it is company policy I can't violate that. Contract details of talents we will work with will remain confidential we believe that's in the best interest of our organization and also in the best interest of the artist to maintain strict confidentially when it comes to contract details and company strategy.
KB - In a recent interview, your new signee Tzy Panchak said that Anglophone artists singing in French are cowards. What do you have to say as his boss and as a Cameroonian from bilingual family?
Firstly I want to say I tip my hat off to each and every Cameroonian artist big or small, rich or poor I have respect and admiration for every one trying to get their voice heard. At BLU NATION we respect talent and we are in support of collective growth. I want to also say that as human beings we have the right to freedom of speech as it’s a birth right. If you take away a person’s right to freedom of speech you are taking away their dignity. I respect how people felt about his comments and I respect their reaction. I'm part Francophone from the central region and Part Englophone from the south West Region so I understand why some artist sing both in English and French besides we are a bilingual country. We also encourage the idea that artist should represent their home turf that’s in their own hood. We need more artist who can comfortably sing or rap in their local dialect I think we have an urgent need for that. BLU NATION will support and promote such artists on our platforms.
KB - Does Bilingualism have an effect on the growth and reception of Cameroonian content both nationally and internationally?
Bilingualism is a key advantage we as a country have in the international entertainment industry. Cameroon as of today is the only country in Africa with both English and French as its official language. We can garner fans from all across the world easily if we have the necessary exposure tools in place to showcase Cameroonian talent on an international level. So, as more Cameroonian entrepreneurs and businesses are beginning to see the need to invest in Cameroonian Music I believe sooner than later Cameroon will regain control of the music wave as we once did before.
KB - Tell us about the future of Blu Nation
We will be officially launching our company on the 30th of July at chariot hotel Buea. We will also be premiering 2 new videos for Tzy Panchaks hit singles” Stay with me and Makavelli”. We will also be releasing his first EP. Under the BLU NATION Recording titled “Underrated” on that same day. We will also be launching our ground breaking entertainment platform which will serve the need of both struggling and we’ll established talent. We will also get going on a national tour following the release of the “Underrated EP”. We plan on reaching out to other labels and artist to discuss the possibility on bringing their artist along. We are also in active discussions with A list celebrities in the United States, and Africa on bridging the gap between our local artist and internationally recognized artist. We have a lot more in store in the meantime we humbly ask for your support as we strive for greatness.
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