DJ and model blazes her own trail in Afrobeats territory
Many know her as a model, but Zoliswa Mlombo is setting off down another path - that of music.
A local DJ, Zoliswa Mlombo, popularly known as Zie on Deck, is an up-and-coming Afrobeats connoisseur set on making people dance to a different and refreshing sound.
Afrobeats is a genre that originated in Nigeria and is taking over the world. This DJ wants to be a part of it. “Look at Tyla. She is an internationally renowned Afrobeats musician, and why not tap into that route as well? More than any other music genre, I love Afrobeats for its creativity. It’s a classic,” Mlombo said.
She is quite new in the DJing field and is determined to be relevant on her homeground in Pienaar, Mbombela and surrounds. “I enrolled with Redamancy Studios to learn how to DJ in 2023. I graduated in September and I got my first gig in October. The journey has been great, because I love doing anything to do with entertainment – pity I cannot sing. I don’t know how I fell in love with DJing, it just happened. I’ve also managed to become a resident DJ at a club in KaNyamazane, which helped to gain some popularity in the Nsikazi areas.”
Mlombo said her dream is to become an international artist and she has a plan to make sure she does. “We live in an era where money is earned just by a click of a button to access the internet. I want to grow my YouTube page, along with other social media platforms, to put myself out there. A lot of promoters and gig planners want DJs who have a social media presence. It will also help me attract international musicians with whom I wish to work in the future,” she said.
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Some of Mlombo’s future plans include making her own music and working with other artists such as Tyla, Burna Boy and Tems.
While moving towards a successful career as a DJ, she has been running the Miss Pienaar pageant organisation since 2018. She is also a model and a fashion designer. “Modelling is my first love. I am still entering pageants as well. I am planning on entering Miss South Africa soon and getting collaborations to model for brands,” she said.
