Eswatini Daily News

By Eswatini Sunday Reporter

Breaking into the cut-throat world of the music industry can be very difficult for any aspiring artist, and has proven to be even tougher for women.

In a saturated industry like ours in the Kingdom, where the bigger part of the activity is between the Mbabane – Manzini corridor, I’ve been quite impressed with the number of artists, mainly women deejays who have emerged over the past year or so.

One may argue that it is a gender imbalance in the sense that women are subjected to harsh expectations, lack of credit for their contributions, lack of respect and the ‘Sitake sibone utokwenta tona’ mindset.

The girls just want to have fun

One has to give credit to the new generation of DJs who have set the scene alight. In 2023, we saw the rise of Thubelihle, also known as DJ Expo in the music industry.

This young deep house deejay proved to everyone that if you set your mind on something and believe, then you are surely halfway there. I call her the ‘Poster Girl’ because she featured in every deep house event last year and her consistency made her lead the pack.

It seems like it has become quite easy for women to find their feet in the music scene, and credit must go to the people who have given these ladies the platform to showcase their skills behind the decks.

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Any artist needs to surround themselves with decent people, who have decent morals, the right intentions and people you can trust. This is more important, especially when it comes to our sisters.

To the event organisers and promoters who are creating solid and safe foundations for future generations of women’s music, we applaud the work that you are doing and may we see more of such this year. The achievements these ladies are making prove that women can thrive in every aspect of music.

In neighbouring South Africa, the music scene has become so welcoming to women artists, that we have seen a surge in numbers, with one of our own, Uncle Waffles, excelling, and collecting some accolades along the way.

Several establishments have introduced the ‘Thursday Ladies Night’, where women artists and DJs have a chance to showcase their talent, and for me, this has become a day where women and the industry are celebrated.

Solani’s recently introduced the ‘City Girls R Up’ concept, where local deejays Ash, Chantel, Tikalavi, Lady Zee and The Prefect, to mention a few have turned into home-grown, entertaining revellers without fail, week in and week out.

Dj on the decks

‘City Girls R Up’ hosted South African vocalist and Amapiano sensation Mawhoo last weekend. Without taking anything away from the guests on the night, the locals brought their A-game. It was refreshing to see a post from DJ Matamza complimenting the DJs for their performances on the night.

One has to commend Solani’s for this great concept and give credit to the young, ambitious Entertainment Manager Locco for such a great initiative. This will surely give more opportunities to young, aspiring female DJs.

Inspiring The Next Generation

The impact of women DJs extends beyond just their performances, they are inspiring the next generation of artists. For example, Uncle Waffles has been an inspiration to several young people who are into music but never really knew how to break into the scene.

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She has become a role model to aspiring musicians locally and worldwide, proving that anything is possible. The likes of DJ Zoe, who is now based in Mbombela (Nelspruit), paved the way and it is now up to the current generation to take over the baton and run with it.

Women DJs and artists as a whole are making their mark in the music scene, bringing fresh perspectives, electrifying performances, breaking down barriers and in the process, reshaping the industry.



I would love to see our sisters getting more involved in the different roles in the industry. As we continue to celebrate their achievements, let us support them and ensure that ‘lomsebenti lumuhle labawentako uyachubeka’.

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