‘It was very difficult and challenging at first, which is very much expected in every line of industry. My family accepted especially my parents, few friends found it difficult to embrace but it didn’t take them long to accept my decision‘ – DJ Moonlait

It was one of those Friday nights when I was co-presenting A Curious Case with Martell on Cool 96.9FM. As I made it through the stairs to enter the studio, I looked at Wazobia FM through the transparent glass and saw this female DJ jamming and mixing some vibes. The smile on the face of DJ Snoop Da Damaja, resident Deejay at the station, who was present in the studio at that time, certifies that this lady got game. I promised myself that after my show I would drop by to meet her. I kept to my word and also took a selfie with her. Queen Martha Udeme aka DJ Moonlait is a native of Akwa Ibom state, based in Port Harcourt and currently in Lagos.

‘I am the 4th child in a family of 6. I am a woman of integrity and very hardworking. I officially started my DJ’ing career in 2012. It was already a hobby that was gradually distracting me from other businesses and my regular lifestyle. I always had the opportunity of traveling by road to Lagos for businesses and listening to various mixtapes which I was not too impressed with and felt I could do better. Randomly, a guy in church told me I looked like a DJ and I should learn how to be a professional one. That prompted me to learn DJing, I started playing at major gigs in PH, and played in almost all the big clubs in PH like Platinum, Lamborghini, Cubana, etc! I also played at Silverbird lounge and Rhythm FM, all in PH,’ she started to tell me her story.

In a country as ours where family folks are very opposed to a lady that tries to pick up a career in the entertainment industry, I asked her how her family reacted when she told them about her career path.

‘It was very difficult and challenging at first, which is very much expected in every line of industry. My family accepted especially my parents, few friends found it difficult to embrace but it didn’t take them long to accept my decision because they know I am a person of my words, I know what I want and I go for it. I was the first female DJ in Port Harcourt so when I’m on stage, if the crowd was dancing before, the moment I mount the stage they will all sit and watch me perform, they want to see what a female DJ can do, after 5-10 minutes the atmosphere goes up in flames and they start spraying money on me, some come forward to get my contacts. I learnt from DJ Big Joe that whenever I represent him at events, either the event planner or organizers would call him and reprimand him for sending a woman in his stead, but he just asks them to trust my skills. After I’m done playing they come and apologize, soon after they kept calling me directly for other gigs. Not too long 5 more female DJs came up after me.’

What is your view of the female DJ’ing industry in Nigeria?

‘The female DJ industry in Nigeria to me is weak… Most times they don’t believe in us and hardly want to give us chances because most people feel It’s for the male population and not a female thing. But with God on my side I’ll work so hard to make that difference and prove to people that what a man can do a woman can do better…(laughs) My fellow girls have been trying but I believe with enough belief in our capabilities we would soar higher.’

What should your audience look forward to from you in 2017?

‘They should expect more works, DJ Moonlait in a different direction! I’d be teaming up with my manager (Africanwhitechic) who believes so much in me. So I’d simply say watch out for DJ Moonlait! *2017* is my year of possibilities.’

– Sesan Adeniji

Culled from Mystreetz Magazine