BY KENNEDY NYAVAYA UNITED KINGDOM-BASED RnB singer and songwriter Daecolm Diego Holland says his current visit to Zimbabwe has opened up opportunities for collaboration with local musicians that he hopes to spur onto the international scene. The 27-year-old vocalist, born in Zimbabwe before moving to the United Kingdom, as an infant, is famed for writing songs for internationally-acclaimed singers, including Chris Brown, Trey Songz and Craig David. Daecolm told NewsDay Life & Style that his close to a month visit had been dominated by meeting young and talented artistes. “I come back to Zimbabwe regularly, it’s still home to me. My main business here is to just work with dope talent, I feel responsible to use whatever platform I have built overseas to give the same opportunity that I have had to local artistes, writers and producers too,” he said. Without getting much into detail, Daecolm said he was in contact with a number of talented artistes among them songstress ShaSha, Tammy Moyo and Asaph. “It has been a slow year for all industries given the current state of the world, but my goal is to do projects and collaborations with Zimbabwean artistes. There is a lot to do, but it is important we come together and break the boundaries,” he said. The Dancing Queen singer said local artistes should use internet platforms effectively to market their works. “The more our local artistes utilise current platforms and keep up-to-date, it helps them spread to the rest of the world, this is something I am also trying to grasp, but it’s definitely some of the things that are stopping Zimbabwe from becoming globally known for its great talent,” he said. Currently riding on the success of his latest project titled FIGUR£$, Daecolm said while he still had much to learn and achieve, his solo career had benefited greatly from association with the who’s who in music globally. “Writing for Chris Brown, Craig David and others is just God’s blessing and timing. I have put in a lot of hard work over the years and that was just the extra blessing that God provided for me to work with some of the best artistes in the world,” he said. “Having those big names under your belt can only do well for you. It helps others recognise you for your works and your talent and makes walking into big important rooms much easier, it is super dope and I am grateful for it.” Follow Kennedy on Twitter @ken_nyavaya