From Bay Area Dreams to Modern Reality: How Keldamuzik Has Expanded Herself In The Entertainment Industry

(To listen to the interview with Keldamuzik, you can check it out on my YouTube channel here.)

The entertainment industry isn’t what it was 20 years ago. It has evolved culturally and digitally now more than ever. Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, Kelda Williams, aka Keldamuzik, has been in the entertainment industry since she was a kid. She started acting and modeling, and Williams caught what she describes as “the music bug” between the ages of 14 and 15.

“I just started writing, that’s what really inspired me,” said Williams. “Words, lyrics, being able to pair words together and make it make sense, and when you apply that to a beat, to actual music, for me, it was very therapeutic, it was a way to express yourself, express your feelings, to put yourself out there in a certain kind of way. From there, and on, I just kept going.”

Williams came up with Keldamuzik by simply attaching “muzik” to her first name because music is what she loves.

“Music is what I’ve been doing my entire life,” said Williams. “The fact that I love all genres of music, you know, hip-hop being my forte, I feel like I can incorporate different types of genres into hip-hop or into my music. That’s why I’m like, ‘Well, just call yourself Keldamuzik, you know, you’re a jack of all trades when it comes to the actual music itself.’”

Williams started working with different producers and found herself in a bigger situation than she expected, loving every minute of it. She cites E-40, Luniz, and Eminem as her inspirations, and highlights Da Brat, Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes, Eve, Lil’ Kim, and Nicki Minaj as her favorite musicians.

“I think she’s [Minaj] paved the way for the newer era of female hip-hop,” said Williams. “…it’s unfortunate about the beefs that keep happening, but I think that’s what makes hip-hop what it is too, you know, being able to go back and forth with someone and having that kind of banter without being too serious about situations.”

With Keldamuzik, Williams also has an alter ego, Diva, and her supporters are called the Divas.

“You have [Nicki] Minaj, who has the Barbies [aka the “Barbs”], you have Beyonce, who has the Beyhive,” said Williams. “Well, Keldamuzik has the Divas, and Keldamuzik has been having the Divas since 2005.”

As Keldamuzik, she has released six albums and two EPs, with her most popular song being “Mind Sex,” featuring Kafani and Mika, from her compilation album “The Diva Network,” released in 2022.

When making “Mind Sex,” Williams, Kafani, and Mika wanted to create something different but sexy.

“Even though it’s called ‘Mind Sex,’ it still leaves it to your imagination to know and understand what to think about it,” said Williams. “We were just like, ‘let’s create something sexy, and just something that would get people in the mood.’ From the cover art to the lyrics, everything just came together.”

Even though Williams loves making music, she returned to her modeling and acting roots, immersing herself in television and films.

“So now everything is coming full circle because it’s like you never know what door might open another door for you, even if you have to pursue this lane first,” said Williams. “And yes, I fell in love with music, but now everything’s coming full circle, bringing my acting career back to life, and the same thing with fashion as well.”

For example, Williams has a talk show, “Diva Talk Tonite,” on Tubi, and a podcast, “Diva Talk Podcast,” available on iHeartRadio, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts. She also created a TV mini web series titled “Whose Ride Is It Anyway?” in 2016.

Williams also starred and produced multiple films. Her first self-produced short film, “Love, The Original Way,” was screened at the BHERC (Black Hollywood Education Resource Center) Black Hollywood Film Festival. She was also cast as Mike’s mom in “First Date,” a film that premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival.

Williams described her experience on “First Date” as amazing, and how she auditioned and filmed twice in the middle of nowhere, three hours away from where she’s located.

“The second scene was in Jackson, [California], which is like a casino town, and it was a bathtub scene,” said Williams, laughing. “That was totally unexpected, but every time someone watches it, they hit me up, and they’re just like, ‘You, in a bathtub scene? How did you do that without revealing everything?’ and I’m like, ‘It’s Hollywood, baby.’”

Williams is currently working on two self-produced films, one being her first feature Christmas film, and another titled “Victory.” She highlights how readily available these resources are to create content.

“It’s so many platforms out there right now, it’s like, how could you not produce a film? How could you not produce content? Outside of social media, you just have so many other streaming platforms you could monetize and grow your audience on another level,” said Williams. “For me, you know again, circling back to acting, which was my first love, it’s just bringing everything all together, from my acting, music, TV, film, fashion, just everything’s all coming full circle.”

Williams has ventured into the fashion industry with her beret line, Tamz – World’s Flyest Berets (which she’s currently wearing in our virtual conversation). Williams was inspired to create Tamz during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We were, at the time, discovering different products and things that we could put out there to keep our fans entertained,” said Williams. “And I said, ‘You know what? No one has ever branded a beret before, not in pop culture, hip-hop, or entertainment. So let’s come out with a beret line.’”

Recently, Tamz has collaborated with HairToStay, a non-profit organization in San Francisco, California, that provides scalp cooling treatment for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, by donating berets and helping raise funds.

When it comes to what advocating for independent artistry looks like to Williams, she said that it always looks like your business.

“You are an entrepreneur, you are a person of many hats, and that’s the way it’s going to be,” said Williams. “If you want to be a successful artist [or] entertainer, you have to sign your own checks, you have to negotiate your own deals, you have to allocate your own budget, and assemble your own team. That’s the only way you’re [only] going to become successful.”

Williams shares advice to those pursuing a career in music and entertainment, stating the importance of knowing what’s going on and not having someone oversee everything for you, but overseeing it yourself and being hands-on with your career.

“If you’re pursuing a career in the music industry, study those who are successful,” Williams said. “Attend as many mixers, events, concerts, and behind-the-scenes. Talk to as many people in this industry as possible, you know, you have technology that continues to evolve…there are so many apps out there that can help you grow your music, that can help you grow your fanbase, grow your marketing and promotion. It’s all about research.”

Currently, Williams is working on a new single that features a Bay Area artist. She compares the process of releasing a single to releasing an album.

“You treat the single as if it’s an album,” said Williams. “You do everything around it, from TikTok challenges to different music videos and angles of the song that you want to highlight to promote it.”

Williams exemplifies this message through running her own media company, Digz Media Group, which she founded in the mid-2000s. The company focuses on marketing, promotions, and public relations for both newer and well-known artists, such as the aforementioned Kafani and Numskull of Luniz.

“[I’m] just being able to facilitate a platform for newer artists to be able to showcase their talents and growth,” said Williams. “I’ve been producing events, and we have The Diva Tour currently going on, and we have different artists from different genres that are performing on that platform. So yeah, I’m just like opening a door for artists and giving them the opportunity that I’ve never had.”

To learn more about Keldamuzik’s upcoming music, TV, and film projects, and follow her on social media, you can check her website keldamuzik.com.