Mpumalanga’s Queen of the decks holds it down

She is making people dance their troubles away and she has massive fun doing it. Zodwa Matsebula, known to many as DJ Zoe, is Mpumalanga’s queen of the decks and she is making her strong presence felt.

“I have been doing this for the past 10 years and it gets better every time. I love seeing happy faces on the dance floor and Mpumalanga is very much alive when it comes to that,” said Zoe.

This energetic female DJ comes a long way. She has worked with big names such as DJ Ganyani and at SABC 1 with Jika Majika. “I have had the amazing opportunity of working with Ganyani for almost nine years. The experience I carry from that path of my career is enormous.

I have been exposed to a number of things which made me who I am now. I should also indicate how grateful I am,” she enthused. Having worked with great brands such as Channel O and Vuzu Entertainment, this vivacious DJ says it all had its perks and sometimes it was an uphill battle.

“This industry is male dominated, so much so, that there is unnecessary competition from the other end. Some men don’t respond kindly to being on the same level as females in their field of work.

But if you love your job, as I do, you are bound to make it through,” she explained. Zoe moved to Mpumalanga last year after she was inundated with gigs from the province, forcing her to relocate.

“Home for me is Swaziland or Johannesburg. However, the demand in Mpumalanga was too much so I just had to relocate to the province of the rising sun. Lowvelders in particular like to party, and I had to heed the call,” she added.

The love of our beautiful province made her not hesitate about moving to this part of the country. “I love Mpumalanga, particularly Bushbuckridge and the people there. I am so very fond of Tsonga people, it’s a pity I can’t really speak the language, but that is no hindrance to my love of that culture,” she added.

The beautiful, single mother said even in her tight schedule, she managed to make time to see her family, although it was not easy. “This is the type of industry that is so busy, one needs to have an understanding partner. One minute you are here, the next you are elsewhere.

People do not want to hear your stories, they want to dance, and you should make sure they do.” She also went on to express her opinion about the entertainment in the province with regard to the exposure given to female DJs.

“I encourage aspirant female DJs to take advantage of the opportunities available to them. I know it is hard, but it is doable. We don’t have a lot of them in the province and it is saddening.

If you love it, I would encourage you to get up and do it for the love and not the money and fame, those are the wrong reasons, which would derail you,” she said.

Zoe said she was open and available to young women who needed advice on how to get into the field, or deal with certain challenges they might be encountering.

“I am currently working with an upcoming female artist, DJ Notrix. I take her to all my gigs to give her the exposure she needs to be able to stand on her own feet. My doors are open for the people who might need help and I will gladly assist whenever possible,” she said.

Your can follow DJ Zoe on Twitter: @djzoe123, Facebook: Deejay Zoe Matsebula, and Instagram: Sheejayzoe and DJ Zoe.