HER SIGNATURE flamboyant hair, over the top accessories and undeniable spinning skills won her the RedSquare DJ Knockout in 2013.
DJ Divalash, born Kagiso Modiselle in Pretoria, has since then made strides within the DJ industry.
The coveted price included a R100 000 cash prize and deejaying equipment worth R120 000. This is the moment that changed the trajectory of her career and set her to where she is today, although she feels “unrecognised”.
Fast forward to 2022, a clarion call has been made by the organisers to have more female DJs representatives entering this annual competition.
Since winning the seventh edition in 2013, DJ Divalash has not seen much follow up from fellow females and that has caused a pounding headache for all and sundry.
Entering its ‘sweet- sixteen’ iteration, the 2022 competition will be dedicated to female DJs, to enter as many as possible.
The top three feminine DJ finalists will automatically have spots to battle it out in the Grand Finale on 16 December 2022 at Dickinson Park in Vereeniging.
In the history of the DJ Knockout Challenge, only one woman got crowned and additionally, just a few female DJs cracked the top three finalists list. But that should and must change.
Simply put: the 2022 leg of the competition has a semifinal exclusive to female.
“Over the years, we have seen females participate in the competition, but then they fizzle out, leading to the semifinals. It is something that is of concern to us. That is because we support the representation of women up to the finals of the competition.
We are a brand that is behind gender parity and equal opportunity. So, we embarked on a fact-finding mission. The results indicate most female participants feel unwelcome by the male dominance of the competition. Therefore, a separate semifinal for female participants is an attempt at correcting the situation,” confirmed Victor Selaelo, Director of Market Development at Halewood Artisanal Spirit company.
On returning to Vaal and post the pandemic, he said: “After a difficult period for the entertainment and lifestyle sector, we are excited about returning to our home venue for the final – owing to the years Covid19 lockdown restrictions, we could not stage the Knockout at Dickinson.
We did not want to risk things by staging the event; because we know the venue always sells out whenever the KnockOut gets staged at its original home in the Vaal,” says Selaelo.
The first prize winner takes home R120 000; second-place winner pockets R10 000 and third-placed winner receive R5 000 in cash.
To enter get entry forms by visiting: www.djknockoutchallenge.co.za, www.facebook.com/djknockoutchallenge and www.twitter.com/djknockoutchallenge
At the media launch held at the hip and happening Propaganda Club, Pretoria, it was also revealed that early bird tickets are now available for R120 for the first 2000.
From then on they will go for R180, and those preferring to buy at the gate its R220.
VIP ticket available for R800 at Computicket outlets.
The full line-up for the grand finale on December 16 at Dickinson Park, Vereeniging, will be made soon.
So, ladies this is your opportunity to ‘flex’ those turn-tables, once and for all. Aziweke!
Image (DJ Divalash on the 1s and 2s. She the only female to have won this competition).
