For most women, managing the home and caring for the children is a full-time job. This explains why some would not for any reason want to combine it with any secular job.
There have been instances where some women have had to give up their dreams just to take good care of their beloved home. However, while many have been caught up in this web of challenges, there is a woman who has defied the odds and kept her head above the peculiar stormy waters. She works with a telecommunications giant in Lagos, married with four kids, doing gospel music and recently added a new feather to her cap, by becoming a Gospel Disc Jockey (DJ).
Her name is Chinelo Chukwu. Also known as Deejay Zibah, she is not just a female DJ but has further streamlined her genre of DJ to gospel.
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According to her, her passion for singing prompted her decision to become a gospel DJ. She is also of the opinion that her love for DJ is to fill a vacuum that has been for years.
In an exclusive interview with The Nigerian Xpress, Deejay Zibah said though the DJ profession is yet to start earning her big pay, she is fulfilled because she is able to entertain people with good content that ministers to their hearts.
Telling the story of how she chose the path of a gospel DJ, she said, “The inspiration or the desire to be a DJ has been in my mind for some time but because of family commitment and work, I kept postponing it. There were three events that pushed me into doing this. One of them was a school party, not really my children’s school, but one big school around my area. On one of those days, they were having one of their school’s end of the year party and the kind of music they played made me uncomfortable. I had to asked if it was really a school party. The kind of songs they were playing for the children was below my expectation. This was how I felt about some birthday parties I attended with my children. The music they played for the children kept me wondering, where the DJ came from. Since no one can stop the children from dancing, they did dance to the music. I was also a guest at a wedding, a church minister’s wedding but at the wedding reception, we were having some kind of music that really got me curious and I was wondering why so.
She, however, kept dillydallying until a DJ was put on the spot on the issue at an event earlier this year.
“I went to a girl’s birthday party earlier this year where I am sure the parent of the celebrant asked the DJ to play some gospel music. The DJ, who apparently was not prepared for this, kept repeating about three tracks over and over for hours, boring everyone. When I came home and was complaining to my husband. He said, ‘if you are not comfortable, do something about it; stop complaining’. I also noticed that the problem people had was, if they wanted a gospel DJ, who would they call that would not play dull songs but entertain. I told myself if I wanted to do this, then, I must do it well.
With a set mind to make an impact in the area, the pretty mother decided to learn more about the art.
“I had to look for a school to get trained. I registered with Tenth Strings Musical Institute in Ikeja, I registered for their DJ academy. I told myself if I am going for this, I want to be the best; what people would get from me should be the same expertise they get from DJ Jimmy Jatt, DJ Cuppy, but with different content. I wanted it to be when people hear of Deejay Zibah, they will be sure of good content. You can still groove with gospel music, as we have e lot of grooving hip hop gospel music from Frank Edwards, Joe Praise, Mike Abdul.”
On how she is able to jostle work, family and keeping up with appointments, as a Disc Jockey, she said it has not been easy, but that passion has kept her going.
“I work with 9mobile, I won’t lie to you; it has been God, my passion and the kind of man I married. I am lucky to have been married to a man that is ready to support me. Those are the three basic answers. The truth is that you cannot do something until you do it, and it is in the place of doing that grace is usually made available, not by laying down on your bed and thinking. When you stand up and say you can do this and you take the first step, you have pushed your dream forward and you will be amazed at how God will help you. The nature of my work has been demanding. I now work night shift permanently. When I am off duty, I give it to my family, I don’t have a house help, so, I plan my time to do what I need to do. I even take my children to functions when I have to play.”
Though not as lucrative as one would have expected, Deejay Zibah maintains that profitability was never her number one consideration. She is optimistic that with continuity, the gains will follow. She said although she isn’t making as much as secular disc jockeys, she noted that she does not give room to be priced cheaply.
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“I don’t want to put profitability first, but then, even some Christians don’t want to support their own. I tell people before you pay me to try to price other DJs that you feel have made it, then, you can come to me so that when I tell you what I charge, you won’t be feeling it is too much. Just recently, I was supposed to play at an event, which is all-night, but when they told me the amount they were willing to pay, I just said I am sorry, I can’t do it. It is not like I have the money in mind but they should put it into consideration. But then, being profitable sincerely is not my number one aim,” the female gospel DJ said.
While also encouraging the female folks, who would want to toe the same path, the Anambra-born song artiste and DJ said: “If it is your passion, go for it. Another thing I would say is that aside from passion, make sure it is your calling. If this is in the picture, you will be able to endure everything and be ready to wait till when the profit comes because at the onset you may really not have profit.”
Deejay Zibah also has a single to her credit. The song is titled “Beautiful.” The album, she.said, is due for release in a few months’ time.
She disclosed: “We had the listening party of Beautiful, my single, in September. I’m also working on an album. It has seven songs and will be released soon.”
On her vision for the future, she stated that she hopes to have an NGO where young women can be mentored and encouraged to be all they want to be, regardless of the challenges they have been through.
According to her: “I want to be able to raise people; to be able to hold functions in White House in America, Aso Rock in Abuja and others alike. I should be able to raise men and women so that when we have different events in one day, I will have people scattered all over. So, in a few years from now, I should have been able to raise an empire. I will also be starting an NGO soon, where young girls that think they can’t make it or are challenged in any area of life, can pick up the pieces of their life and be encouraged to move on.”