GET TO KNOW SMIRNOFF 1818’S SHAYA INGOMA RUNNER-UP: DJ BINABINNZ
Over the last couple of years, there have been a steady stream of up-and-coming female DJs that are flying South Africa’s flag high on the local, regional and international music scene. However, many more female DJs are still needed across the country to address the imbalance when it comes to access to paying gigs and opportunities within this career for women compared to their male counterparts.
It is for this reason that South Africa’s number one vodka brand, Smirnoff 1818, launched the Shaya Ingoma female DJ search competition.
The Shaya Ingoma platform annually calls on all up-and-coming female DJs nationwide to enter the Smirnoff’s female DJ search. The competition also acts as a showcase of the tremendous amount of female DJ talent that Mzansi has been blessed with.
I had an opportunity to have a chat with one of the runner up DJ BinaBinnz, as she tells me more about her career and future endeavours.
This is what she had to say:
Who is Katleho Mokhethi?
1. Where are you from and how was your upbringing?
Katleho Mokhethi, popularly known as DJ Binnz is a Hip Hop DJ originally from Bloemfontein but now based in Johannesburg. I moved here in 2021 when the COVID restrictions were lifted with hopes of building my brand even further in a bigger city with bigger establishments and bigger opportunities. I had an amazing upbringing, from as far back as I can remember I have always loved music, I remember owning heaps of cassettes and CDs and music players as a child.
2. How did you become a dj and why?
I became a DJ in 2014 because back then there weren’t a lot of female DJs, especially not Hip Hop DJs and especially not in Bloem. I am still the only female Hip Hop DJ from the Free State. In 2014 I joined FUSE Academy, which is/was DJ Zinhle’s DJing school specifically for females, and I have been DJing since. DJing allows you to break new music, share the wonderful music that’s out, it allows you to carefully curate an amazing time out for patrons and those are some of the other reasons why I wanted to become a DJ.
3. What skills do you think dj’s need to be successful?
A successful DJ obviously needs to know how to use the equipment to the best of their abilities and the most important part I think is the ability to read the room. You need to remember who you are on that stage for and why you are there and execute your job accordingly. Branding is also an important factor because you need to know who exactly it is you’re targeting and make sure your brand speaks to and attracts your intended audience.
4. What unique technics do you use to engage with the crowd?
I think my most unique offering is that I focus mostly on the female crowd. I believe that a club really pops when the ladies are having fun so those are the people I target mostly when I’m playing. I always say, when the ladies are happy, the drinks will flow, the bottles will pop. If the drinks are flowing the club owner and the promote are happy and my job is done.
5. What inspires you everyday to become the best version of your self? What keeps you going?
Honestly what keeps me going is the hope of a better tomorrow, in general. We’re always growing, always learning but it can only be achieved by working tirelessly everyday towards the best version of yourself. You’ve got to remember why you started and always work towards the end goal, whatever your end goal is. Make sure you’re constantly taking steps towards that goal.
6. Why & how you chose the genre that you specialise in?
I chose Hip Hop because that is the genre that I listen to mostly. Hip Hop is poetry in motion, it’s beautiful words strung together on a dope beat to deliver a story. That is in essence what Hip Hop is about, telling a story in rhythm and playing with words. I also think it’s amazing with music in general, that someone else can string together words to describe exactly what you’re feeling as if they know. It allows us to relate to one another, to speak for and to each other and deliver messages that can inspire an entire generation.
7. What are the challenges of making it in this male dominated industry and how do you over come them?
The challenges that I have faced all involve shady promoters. Promoters that don’t pay on time, promoters that falsely advertise using your name, promoters and club owners who want sexual favours. Those are mostly the challenges that I get faced with and in recent years the demand for Hip Hop DJs and artists has declined with the rise of amapiano so I would count that as a minor challenge as well.
8. What are your experiences in the industry and how it has shaped vou into the woman vou are today?
I think my experience in the industry has shown me how important it is to keep going and fighting for your place in this great big world. Everything that is meant for you, will make its way to you as long as you’re grinding.
9. Please take us through on how you found out about shaya ingoma competition.
I found out about the Smirnoff Shay Ingoma competition on social media and I decided to give it a go because Hip Hop wasn’t well represented in the competition and that’s what I wanted to do.
10. How does it make you feel to be one of the runner ups of the biggest competition in SA? And where to from here? What can people anticipate from you?
It was a great experience and people can expect to see me at a club near them pretty soon.
You can connect with DJ BinaBinnz on social media. Here are her handles:
Twitter: @BinaBinnz
Instagram: @BinaBinnz
Facebook: Binabinnz
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