Lately many young women have been developing an interest in the Disc Jockey (DJ) career business and as some have been trying to get their feet in it and get noticed, Ndaboka Bengani has thus far been able to make her mark in the entertainment scenes and has managed to prove that she is force to reckon with when it comes to entertaining people.
Bengani is proving that women are also capable of taking on so called men’s jobs and doing them right. The 22-year-old is determined to not only conquer but inspire other young women to follow suit. “I started loving this craft after watching one DJ playing at a party. I was very young then and realised that people were enjoying themselves because of the music that was being played. From that day I knew it was a path I had to follow,” she said.
She explained that making other people happy has always been something she takes pleasure in doing, and as a result, being a DJ meant she could share her love for music with the rest of the world. She continued that what she loves mostly about being a DJ is that the power is in one’s hands. “I get to choose the music that people should listen to and dance to. This means so many people rely on you for their happiness and managing to make them happy only results in getting more fans,” she said.
What sets her apart from other DJs, she explains, is her exotic taste of music selection. She said she has an ear for different kinds of music ranging from house to hip hop music, Rumba as well as Jazz. “As an entertainer it is very important to appreciate all music as people in a crowd have different tastes. So you never know what a person in a crowd might love,” she said.
Although there are many pecks that come with being a DJ, Bengani is quick to point out that there are also challenges that she has to deal with being a female DJ. She said the most stressing ones are that promoters are far from accepting the fact that a female DJ can also be as good as a male DJ or even better. “They label us as extras or plus ones in their line ups just to spice things up. We are not given first priority like male DJs to prove ourselves. I have taught myself to accept all these challenges and deal with them as a learning curve and funny enough they make me strong,” she said.
Her motivation comes from her biggest support system which is her family. “They have always been there for me and have always told me never to give up in my dreams even if the situation does not allow so. And for that I have always remained strong,” she said.
She also added that she gets inspiration from other female DJs who have done well for themselves including the likes of DJ Zinhle and Dj Cupid.
