DJ Lady Shiks keeps the house music drums rolling

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Ms Dyondzo Shikwambane defied all the odds to become a local prominent house-music DJ.

Popularly known as DJ Lady Shiks from Dzingidzingi village in the Giyani area, house music has always been her passion.

As a woman in a fraternity increasingly dominated by men, DJ Lady Shiks told Limpopo Mirror about her musical journey and how she rose through the ranks to become one of the best female DJs in the region.

“My father used to operate a tavern in my village. I developed a love for house music from when I was only five years old,” she said. Growing up, she used to envy other DJs playing music at different local events in the Giyani area. “I would listen to radio shows where house music DJs were being interviewed,” she said.

Only when she was studying towards her BSc degree in water and sanitation at the University of Limpopo did she decide to nurture her talent. This was also the beginning of her struggle in the industry, but she did not allow her situation to determine her future. She raised money on her own and enrolled at Soul Candi Academy. “While I was studying at university, I completed my DJ 101 certificate from Soul Candi,” she said.

Looking for events at which she could play was not easy. She strived to find people who could help her reach her dream.

She said that when a person started in this career, people assumed he or she was there just for the money and freebies or only trying to be famous. “I remember at one stage I secured a space to play in Giyani when I was still a student. I hiked from Polokwane and was involved in a vehicle crash. I still went to the same event the following day, only to find out that my name wasn't on the playing list,” she said, recalling one of many events that did not go her way.

She said although it is difficult to find a breakthrough, hard work and dedication always brought out the best. Only in 2016 did her talent start receiving the recognition it deserves. She has since become a household name in the Giyani area and has set many radio stations and dance floors around the country and in Swaziland, Lesotho and Mozambique on fire.

DJ Lady Shiks has shared the stage with some of the prominent names in the music circles, including Black Coffee, Sho Majosi, Benny Mayengani, and DJ Ganyani, among others.

Last year, she released her first single, Ni Langhe Wena, and she is determined to release more tracks.

In 2016, she teamed up with Mumly Nkuna to start the We are magic campaign through which they distribute sanitary pads at local schools. DJ Lady Shiks also donates matric dance dresses annually and judges a youth talent search in her village.

By: Phathutshedzo Luvhengo