Do you remember being a kid and peering through those kaleidoscope toys for the first time? Those fractal patterns mapped out across our eyes – the excitement of seeing reality slightly differently, more enhanced – and more wondrous. Those toys are generally a child’s first taste beyond the senses. This is the feeling that DJ Doowap emanates in South Africa and across the whole planet. Whether it’s the colours that DJ Doowap AKA Khetsiwe Morgan has decided to be adorned in for the day (in our conversation, Khetsiwe is head-to-toe in royal purple, with braids to match) or the enigmatic presence of her performances, DJ Doowap has taken the role of disc-jockeying and turned into an artform – and she’s doused it in the kind of vibe that only creatives in the country can communicate. Khetsiwe is a veteran of the music industry with nine years and counting across DJing, music production, radio-hosting and performance; Doowap has worked with some of the biggest brands, features alongside some of the biggest names and continues to travel back and forth to some of the coolest places in the world. Yet, her eyes glisten throughout our conversation, seemingly amazed at her own path in life – and I get the sense that really, for DJ Doowap, it’s only just begun.

Images by Mulalo Siphoro (DR3DVL).

“I studied sound engineering in London, this was around 2010, but it was really difficult to study and work. I decided to move back to South Africa and finish my studies in 2012, and stayed with my parents. They were adamant that if I wanted to have a social life, I had to pay for it myself. I did a short DJ course with Ian Credible, and my first show after learning was at Roxy’s in Melville. The next day, I got this call from someone at YFM and they couldn’t believe I was splaying all this stuff from London – like Garage, Drum and Bass. They offered me a show on YFM, literally after my first gig.” Khetsiwe says, noting that the universe had big plans for her from day one. This alignment would see her play on cult-status youth station YFM; with 99.2 being her first testing ground for the development of ‘DJ Doowap’. Having grown up in the beating heart of Joburg’s creative scene in the 2000s, she says “I had grown up around Riky Rick and Da L.E.S in the north. When Riky heard that I was DJing, he asked me if I could be his DJ – so we started touring with our crew BOYZ N BUCK$. That really opened up the world for me, and when I decided I wanted to go it alone and not only be known for being Riky’s DJ, he supported that fully.” For Khetsiwe, her international and local vision started early; one of the first steps she took was to ensure that she could go overseas during our winters, and create a career that would see her transcend notions of being bound by borders. 

Fundamental to Doowap’s repertoire is her notably ‘genre-bending’ style. To be in the presence of her sonic formulas is to run through a multitude of styles in one set; for Khetsiwe, it’s never made much sense to restrict herself or her listeners. There is just too much happening, and too much to appreciate musically “I was really inspired by Soulection and their multi-genre approach. For me, it’s about good music, and when I started I could see that the future of music was never going to be about one genre. I think before, genres had a lot more time as a single sound for a generation or an era, but the internet has changed that and how we access music is so much more hyper-connected. We can see that now with Amapiano and Afro Beat, it’s not just one genre on its own that’s dominating, they’re coming together and they can be interchangeable.” Boxing oneself in can be a difficult chamber to break out of, and Khetsiwe self-professes that her inclination to get bored meant that she had to infuse her DJ and production style with her own personality, “I literally get bored of one genre after two hours, so there’s no way I could have my whole career centred around one single genre. I always have South African influences in my sets – obviously Amapiano is having its time in the sun which is amazing, and then something like Gqom does super well overseas.”

Les Amis.

DJ Doowap is a progenitor of the performance influence that we see today in DJ sets. Historically, DJs were muted and mysterious figures; subtle shamans of the deck, weaving sonic overlays across crowds with a somewhat incognito energy. Today, DJing has become one of the most democratising creative disciplines – with craft being adaptable as both a hobby or additional creative skill for designers, art directors, actors, artists and so on. Artistically, Khetsiwe explains her vision, “I’ve always wanted my sets to be a show. So I always incorporate dancers and choreography, crazy visuals, really dope outfits; I want to bring people into this world where DJ Doowap resides and can give them an experience. I start off slow and then elevate the set and build the energy to a point of release. I feel like this has been picked up by a lot of DJs here – people aren’t just standing and DJing anymore, I think the potential of what a set can be as a creative outlet is being realised. I think this is what’s setting us apart internationally; people know when they’re booking South African DJs, they’re going to get a whole vibe along with it.” Khetsiwe also works collaboratively in whichever city she goes to; finding local dancers leading up to her arrival, and hiring them to accompany her performances, “I have dancers in Paris, dancers in London. When I was in Jakarta recently, I found two Indonesian dancers and sent them choreography to learn. When I got there, we had two days to clean it and make it look really dope – and then when we performed, I think people were shocked, someone even asked if I bought these dancers from South Africa!”

Image by Young Stilo.

DJ Doowap is the Queen of Colour; always expressing the multitude of hues and styles that she’s into at any given moment. There’s a new era of Doowap all the time, and I ask about how she’s come to understand her style, “my parents owned nightclubs in the 90s and 2000s, so I’ve always been around artists and creatives. I think that’s why I have a lot of nostalgia for the 90s style. I always think of Brenda Fassie and how she’d always incorporate African beads into her aesthetics. I also love the TLC vibe, with the high-waisted and crop tops; I’m a mash-up of 90s vibes with a dabble of African influences. Colour is also really important to me and I find myself going through moods with different colours.” Khetsiwe is always pushing the parts of herself that she can express, and in reflection – this kind of drive towards elevation is what has set her apart and also shown South Africans the levels that can be strived for “I swear, South Africans need you to go overseas for them to really respect you. The more I travel overseas, the more love I get at home. Right now, people are worshipping us as South Africans. In the last two years, I’ve worked more overseas than in my whole career; I was in Jakarta and then this past week I was in Germany. I think South Africans are still music snobs and maybe that’s part of our magic, but I really make sure that my sets are designed to educate people on new music.”  

Doowap’s favourite career moments are too many to tell, and when asked – she is quick to relay a mixture of local and international moments. South Africa is described as the ‘root chakra’ of the world; with energy emanating outwards to the rest of the planet. I think this symbolism (and for those of us, the reality) of the root here in South Africa perfectly characterised DJ Doowap’s path – her root is here, but her reach is far. Ending off with her highlights, she says, “when Afropunk came here in 2017, I knew that I could make it work by being here in South Africa. Then playing at Afropunk in New York after playing it in Joburg was a really full circle experience. I love all the festivals I’ve done here; we have a really special festival scene and a lot of people dedicated to its progress. Playing a Soulection party in New York was insane, because they’re such a big influence on me. Then, opening up for M.I.A when she came to South Africa was wild. Then last year, I was in the same lineup as Diplo for Paris Fashion Week. I played straight after him, and he was like ‘Doowap, you’re up next!’ and that was so, so surreal.”

With so much still to come, Khetsiwe tells us that her focus is to expand into Asia, with her performances in Indonesia recently and for the rest of 2023 as her entry points. Doowap admits that she was only ever going to play for fun and as a way to earn a few extra bucks; but from day one, the universe had other plans. Enigmatic and an icon – DJ Woowap changed the game, and she has many more moves to play on the board.

Feature image by Andrew Berry.

Written by: Holly Beaton

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