Vaal’s female DJ making airwaves in Tshwane
DJ Portia advises people to follow their dreams, believe in themselves, and take it easy.
SEDIBENG. – Born and bred in Sedibeng (Vaal), Zone 12 Sebokeng to be exact, Portia Nombali Phiri a.k.a DJ Portia (33) is taking the crowds by storm in Tshwane with her DJing skills.
A resident DJ Zero 1 Two Lounge in Pretoria West, Phiri is about good vibes, and for her, music is
the answer. Her genre of choice is House music. Phiri’s Djing career started in 2022 after attending a course at the DJ and Music Production Institute in centurion. Since then, DJ Portia has made a name for herself by remaining ahead of her game in not only her choice of music but with the ways she plays it as well. She has the ability to take control of the dance floor and energise the crowd that is on it. In 2022 she entered the Sminorff1818 Shay’ingoma female DJ search competition where she made it to the top 10.
She said that while the female DJ landscape in South Africa is on the rise, there is still a wide gender gap within this sphere of the music industry, and it’s clear that it is not because of any lack of talent.
“The barriers to entry for women are deeply entrenched, making it much harder for women to break through this male-dominated industry. Several factors contribute to these barriers, such as biases due to false gender perceptions relating to women’s ability to operate and succeed in a male-dominated industry, limited access to DJing equipment, and means to upskill their DJing careers.”
The energetic DJ said that her late uncle was a lover of good music and that he is the one that introduced her to music.
“The love of music inspired me to be a DJ, and the lockdown era played a part too. I used to watch a lot of female DJs on TV during the hard lockdown and I was inspired. I made it a point that I go learn how to DJ after the lockdown, which I did, the rest is history.
When asked what her biggest challenge was when she started to DJ, she said:
“I am known as an introvert, people did not believe I am a DJ, and I had to constantly prove myself even to date. But the biggest challenge is being a “married ” female DJ. I still enjoy my alone time, but this time I spend it practicing and finding new tunes, which results in better performance.”
About being a married female DJ, she said:
“It’s still tough for me. For example, I will have a meeting with a Promoter but the moment they see the ring on my finger then my marriage is a topic, so I have learned to talk openly about my marriage and how it doesn’t affect my Djing career. It might not happen all at once but it surely will happen, one step at a time.”
Follow DJ Portia on Twitter: @ mbali_djporti
