Get to know Moira The DJ

Tintswalo Mabaso, known as Moira The DJ was among the names that made it to the Smirnoff Shaya Ingoma competition top 10 finalists in 2022 to battle it out for the title of being the ultimate female DJ.

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The Soweto born Mabaso traces her love for music back to the tender age of eight years old, when she was signed up for lessons in classical music and learnt to play the piano as her earliest introduction into the world of music that sharpened her ear.

Throughout her high school years, she became the school’s DJ, playing at school events and concerts. After completing her matric, she took her passion for music and enrolled in a sound engineering programme with the academy of sound engineering and would go on to work at the national broadcasting channel, SABC. But her grit to do more saw her enrolling back to study media at Boston Media House.

It was during this time that she was exposed to the Soul Candi Institute of Music at her campus that her DJ’ing aspirations started taking shape.

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“Music has always been a part of me but it really started as an influence from my brother and he introduced me to local DJs from around and I was hooked and asked that they could teach me. I’d go on Fridays and get lessons on how to mix, controller pitch and being the person I am, I got myself controller and cdj,” said Mabaso.

She has managed to solidify a career as a professional DJ for over a time span of nine years. Her list of accomplishments include being a co-host and in-house DJ for TransAfrica Radio, winning third runner up for the Hunters Extreme Bold DJ competition and scoring an interview with Legendary DJ Black Coffee and recent opportunity to play live on SABC1.

Mabaso who classifies herself as a creative said she doesn’t believe in being boxed. This is a mantra which she lives by in her DJ’ing career, dabbling in Afro tech, AmaPiano, and Old Skool.

The same can be seen in the many hats she wears, working as a camera operator on weekdays and a photographer as one of her side hustles.

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“I am inspired by the small things. Life everyday inspires me to do what I do and being a woman in this industry where we are always trying to prove a point inspires me to not stop, and break the whole stigma that we can also do it and that has meant not limiting myself. I always position myself to learn and put myself out there.”

The 31-year-old adds that while the industry has over the years evolved, there is still a long way for it to go. She says this is critical to driving transformation and equality with the business in order to open the industry for more women.

“This is still predominantly a male dominated and for you to make it is very tough. Female DJs were still subjected to imbalances of getting paying gigs or opportunities. It’s a matter of constantly proving yourself, your skills and know-how,” she said.

“I always say that I am not just a female DJ but I am a DJ and that for me is particularly important. It is always remembering what you want and what your goals are because we have the capabilities to be on the same stages as David Guetta and Black Coffee” she said, continued.

Future plans for Moria include plans to release her own music. She cited that she was excited to see her brand grow into uncharted spaces.

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“That is the one thing that I want to do in the next six months. That’s something I haven’t tapped into. I want to add being a composer and producer onto my resume and make and package my own music. It would be nice to have a song titled after my name and that’s what I plan to take my brand into.”