Every job is honourable – Female DJ
The courses really didn’t have any impact on me. As they say, ‘I wasn’t feeling the courses’. I’ve always loved music and that got the better of me. My father always preached the need for a woman to have a certificate. Medicine was another course which fascinated me and I may have gone into it […]
The courses really didn’t have any impact on me. As they say, ‘I wasn’t feeling the courses’. I’ve always loved music and that got the better of me.
My father always preached the need for a woman to have a certificate. Medicine was another course which fascinated me and I may have gone into it if I had had my way. But I guess even with that, I would have dropped it along the line and gone for something music-inclined.
Growing up was fun and there are things about it that are part of the reasons why I’m doing what I’m doing now.
My dad told me that as a child, I used to go to the turntable, switch on some music, play and dance and mimic DJs. I don’t remember any of these though. He knew I was going to be either a musician or an actress.
How did he feel when you decided to be a DJ?
It was war. He didn’t like it one bit. But after I was first interviewed by a newspaper and took it to him, the first thing I remember him saying was, ‘Yes, this is my daughter’.
So why didn’t you go for theatre arts or some entertainment-related course?
I honestly loved the sciences and I am quite shy and would not want to be an actor and have so much focus on me. I also don’t like crowd.
As a female DJ, don’t you have that attention and focus on you along with the crowd?
For the crowd, that’s why I have the headphones over my ears and I am inside a DJ box, which hides and protects me. So except you have a reason to come there, I am usually all by myself.
What are the challenges of probably being the only female DJ in Nigeria in what could otherwise be termed a man’s world?
It is not easy at all. When I started working as a DJ, the guys were angry with me and always trying to ‘beef’ me. Naturally, I pulled more crowd than they did. If for nothing else, it’s the fact that people were surprised to see a female DJ and then to hear how good she is.
They didn’t use to allow me to play, especially when it is peak period and the crowd are enjoying my mixes.
How long have you been in it and where did you start from?
It has been five years and I started in Port Harcourt, Rivers State at the Bootleggers Club. I used to go to the DJ’s booth and look at what they were doing. I would say to myself that I could do what they were doing and enjoy it just as much.
So I made friends with the DJ of the club, that is, DJ Flex whom I convinced to relocate to Abuja. He told me to go and register in a studio. I did, but didn’t get to learn anything from there. I would go with him to work every now and then watching all he was doing. When he leaves the place I would then do what I saw him did. That’s how I learnt to be a DJ until I got a hang of it and was able to add my own touch to give some uniqueness.
What is it like being a DJ?
It is fun for me, real fun and I enjoy myself absolutely. I work especially on weekends. In the course of working, I study the kind of crowd I have before me and then determine the songs that will appeal to them. This for me is the number one tip of being a good DJ.
Even when I go to cover parties outside the state, I go round the town listening to what kind of songs the music stores are playing, also the radio and television stations. That way, I get a feel of what the party guests are likely to enjoy.
Before you leave for work, do you have to sit and select what songs to play?
No, I don’t have to. The songs just come to me and the crowd sometimes direct my choice. When I am off work, I don’t stress myself with work matters, I just relax.
What is the reaction of people towards you when they discover you are a DJ, especially the male crowd?
Every night, I make new friends. People are like ‘Wow, I have never met a female DJ before.’ I refuse to collect or give out my phone numbers outright.
Some are smarter by telling me they have an event they would like me to cover. That way, I am obliged to give my number only to find out later that they just wanted an avenue to keep in touch with me. So now, I have two lines – my business and personal line.
With my male colleagues, they initially didn’t use to allow me to play until there was nobody to listen to or hear how well I played. Whenever I got angry, they would tell me to take a walk if I couldn’t stand working with the guys. Unfortunately for them, I persisted and here I am.
How do you keep them in check?
If a guy calls to say he has an event for me and asks that we have a business lunch, I attend, but when I see it is something more than a business lunch, I just pack my bags and leave.
Where do you see yourself in another five years?
I see myself as a club owner which houses a production studio. I would like to produce artistes, and if possible, record labels. Nigerian music has gone far and I would like to do my bit of promoting them.
You obviously love what you do; what do you have to say about young girls in Abuja who just loaf around?
I would like to say to them in a few words – every decent job is honourable and should not be an embarrassment. Ladies have to learn to be self-reliant. I hope to have a foundation for women and young girls.
Whether it is being a house-help, cleaner, hairdresser or what have you, find something to do and doing it like it were the last opportunity you had to prove your worth.