New lady DJ star is born

Bruce Ndlovu
LAST Saturday when 24-year-old DJ Siphethangani Sibanda stepped up for her stint on the decks at Club 263, only a few knew her.

Even a fewer number of those in attendance knew if she had the skill to call herself a DJ.

After all, this is the era where everyone believes they are masters on the decks by virtue of the fact that they possess a laptop and the right computer software.

The question of who are the real DJs in such an era has popped up now and again, and this is the question that DJ CP, as Sibanda prefers to be referred to when she handles her business on the decks, was willing and prepared to answer when her chance to perform came.

The 24-year-old was one of the contestants on a night dubbed The Battle of the Female DJs at the popular club, 263.

She emerged tops on a night where seasoned performers like DJ Crazy D, Miss P and Noma that Girl formed part of the high-powered female DJ line-up that battled for the honour of being crowned the best among the citya��s mushrooming female DJs.

a�?a�?This is what I want to do because disc jockeying comes naturally to me. I cana��t imagine myself doing anything else,a�? said CP in an interview after her unlikely victory.

The victory came despite the fact that CP had only been on the decks for a year. It is a year that has seen CP, whose boyfriend is also another city DJ, go from a virtual unknown to one of the most promising talents on the DJ scene.

CP is one of the rare breeds of local DJs that are proficient on the decks. Others have completely abandoned this seemingly old way of performing, using software like virtual DJ as a shortcut to earn fame on the decks.

a�?I could only use virtual DJ when I started disc jockeying last year, but DJ Smesh reached out to me and asked me to play at Walkers. From then on he built me up and showed me how to use the decks which proved to be more fun than I thought as it allowed me to fully explore my creativity,a�? she said.

The former Petra High School student said although her career was progressing steadily, the industry was still heavily weighted against women.

Since the emergence of South Africaa��s DJ Zinhle as a major force on the decks in the last few years, more women in Bulawayo have been taking DJ as a career path, with the likes of DJ Liz proving to be a handful for male competitors on the decks locally.

While some barriers have been broken down, CP cites lack of funding as a major stumbling block. She, however, acknowledged that her family, especially her mother, had been her pillar of strength throughout these trying times.

a�?I am very glad to be given such a platform to showcase my talent, as most female DJs dona��t get such opportunities.

But mostly I would like to thank my family especially my mother for believing in my passion, this has given me confidence,a�? she said. .